As always, we have an interesting issue.

A fashion show in Milan gave us some Grade A showmanship this week. At a certain moment, saboteurs, incognito in the crowd, began to fall in love with some heavy petting. Bravo. It made me think of the Ace Gallery dealer Doug Chrismas who I believe used to seed his opening crowds with actors. "Strange, did you notice how many tall people were in that room?"

Tim Schneider of the Gray Market, an arts economy news site, has a great piece in the issue. On the subject of galleries as community centers, he says some interesting things at the end of the piece. "A lot of (collectors) buy art to support the entire social, cultural, and economic ecosystem that influenced the production of those objects in the first place." Brass tacks.

Cutting the ribbon makes it official. The upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art has made their promises known just last Monday morning. The hopeful dream has popped to a new reality. Las Vegas will have a world class art museum.

We also present an interview with artist Barbara Takenaga, a painter who entered my radar this year and immediately flew to the top of the charts, where she now reigns.

Art Report Today .com