Are Internet art sales going to be a significant business or fizzle out?
It’s going to be a significant business, no doubt. These things get into the bloodstream. It’s just so convenient. In the last 10 years, fewer and fewer people have actually gone to the [art] showings at Christie’s and Sotheby’s. They take it more and more on faith. [But] people feel good about buying if they know it’s from a source that’s going to back [the sale] up, as artnet.com does. Q: But you’re also competing with Sothebys.Amazon.com, and eBay has bought the Butterfield auction house, which is very well-respected. So it’s going to be a dogfight, I would guess. A: Well, my father was [known as] the prince of retailing. He owned Tiffany’s, so he knew what the hell was going on. And he said, “The best thing you can do is get your biggest competitor across the street. You’ll do better.” Q: Your father owned Tiffany’s? A: Yes. I grew up in retailing. But I split off because he was too domineering. I couldn’t work for him. So I went into museums, then book-writing, television, and the
