Pandemic art sales: prettying up the walls we’re staring at

Atiba T. Edwards appears in his apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Edwards is the cofounder of the arts non-profit FOKUS, which offers arts education, hosts art events and publishes an online magazine. Photo: AP

If you’ve been watching experts and commentators appearing on television from their homes, their increased attention to decor might look familiar: In the early days of lockdown, they, like many of us, sat in front of blank white walls, while now their homes frequently display prominent artwork.

“Cinderella has nothing on these people, ” said Claude Taylor, who created the Room Rater Twitter account with his fiancee, Jessie Bahrey. “I don’t think art is even something people thought of in April.”