The Most Shocking Shifts of the Post-Pandemic Art World

Nicola Vassell braced herself for the possibility of receiving only a smattering of visitors when she opened her new, eponymous art gallery in New York’s Chelsea in late May. She’d resolved to mostly seek buyers online, or over the phone, for her debut show of Ming Smith photographs. Instead, the former Deitch Projects director who previously managed music producer Swizz Beatz’s collection spent hours threading her way through a diverse throng that included collector A.C. Hudgins and artists Hank Willis Thomas and Tschabalala Self.