The art market continued its upward climb last week with unprecedented results at the New York auctions. But when Jasper Johns's Flag (1983) makes a record $36 million at Sotheby's (see "Rothko Reels In $45 Million at Sotheby's $343.6 Million Contemporary Evening Sale") or Peter Doig's Pine House (Rooms for Rent) (1994) fetches $18 million (also a record), at Christie's (see "Epic Christie's $852.9 Million Blockbuster Contemporary Art Sale Is the Highest Ever"), it may not necessarily be good news for all. In a recent interview with German magazine Monopol, Allianz's art insurance chief Georg von Gumppenberg suggests that the ever-rising art market is putting a damper on the quality of art most museums are able to show.
�Why?� you may ask. The answer is: insurance costs.