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The Hamptons Art Rush, Five Years Later: What COVID Taught Us

The seasonal set-ups that endured treat the region as a priority second market worthy of consistent programming and ongoing relationships, rather than a seasonal overflow space for whatever a Chelsea space can't fit.

While its disruption was a mere inconvenience compared to the worldwide life and death consequences of COVID-19, the New York art scene still sank out of sight for months during the severe pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Social distancing and crowd control shut down museums and made traditional gallery shows impossible. Yet the warm weather months threw the industry a life preserver. Once the spring and summer temps of 2020 hit, galleries set sail for the Hamptons. Beach clubs and yacht slips soon stood in for white walls and track lighting as outdoor shows and the occasional auction quite literally breathed fresh air into the five boroughs’ ailing art world.

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Dobrosława Nowak, founder and CEO of The Italian Art Guide, tells Observer that it wasn’t only the New York galleries who fled the city for Long Island in 2020. “Some wealthy collectors temporarily moved to the Hamptons. When collectors moved, galleries, auction houses and dealers followed by opening pop-ups or seasonal locations. Over the last five years, the Hamptons became a focused luxury market with art leading the way.”

Nowak cited the prime........

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