On the way to the Basel Art Fair we had to kill a couple of hours in Nice on the beachfront (it’s not all fun and games). Just along from where we were sitting a guy set up shop by arranging a heap of oil paintings of Paris down on the pavement.
We then watched as he put the hard sell on passers-by, pausing every ten minutes or so to chat with any young woman who came into range or philosophising with his mate the glass jewellery seller: “In Nice everything is possible.”
Two hours later and not a sale in sight. Suddenly there’s someone doing the art gallery shuffle in front of the work. Step forward, cock the head, step back, pause, step forward, touch the chin, step back, look up. Sold!
Five minutes later the gallerist rolled up his stock and moved on to find another place to set up. Just like art fairs really.
Images: Top row, the set up. Second row, pitching the work. Third row, the sale and bottom row, moving on.
