Once-in-a-lifetime ... again!

Hey, it's James. All these “unprecedented” art events beg the question: are they really so special? [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi, I’m [James Tarmy](, Bloomberg’s arts columnist, and on this lovely Saturday morning I’d like to talk about death. OK not death exactly, but the things you’d like to do before you die. Everyone has a so-called bucket list, with some entries more attainable than others. Hiking to [Machu Picchu]( is on my list, for instance, but so is learning how to play Sorabji’s [Opus Clavicembalisticum](. (Just to be clear, I have never taken piano lessons, nor do I foresee a time in my life where I’ll start.) The Milkmaid from 1657-1658, which will be on view at the Rijksmuseums’s blockbuster Vermeer show. Source: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam But lately, through no fault of my own, my list keeps growing thanks to an overwhelming number of “once-in-a-lifetime” exhibitions. There was the Leonardo show in Paris in 2019; the 2020 Raphael show in Rome, which I (along with [almost everyone else]() missed because of Covid; the Raphael show in London in 2022; and then the Donatello show in Florence. And now Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum has opened [the biggest Vermeer show in history](—28 out of about 37 known paintings by the artist, all in one place for the first time ever. It’s part of my job to look at art, which provides at least a vague justification for bouncing around the world’s museums to see all of this stuff. For someone who has a slightly less absurd occupation, all of these “unprecedented” shows beg the question: if they’re all happening now… are they really so special? Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring, which will also be on view. Photographer: Margareta Svensson The short answer is: yes. We’re in a golden age of historical blockbusters, the result of a sort of magical confluence of major anniversaries, lucky breaks and, [as I wrote]( in this week’s [Bloomberg Businessweek magazine](, the emergence of a top-tier league of the world’s best museums, each of which lends art to the others. Because I’m at the end of my mid 30s (or my straight-up late 30s, depending on whether you’re a glass-half-empty or a glass-three-quarters empty kind of person), I can still kid myself that it’s never the last time for anything. But when I walked through the Donatello show last year, the knowledge that I would never again (ever!) be able to do what I was doing right then was both unnerving and profound. So absolutely, the pressure to see all this great art can feel almost burdensome. But you won’t get a second chance. [Get over to Amsterdam ASAP](, and cross an entry off your bucket list before it gets even longer. Connect with James on [Twitter]( or via [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net). What to read now. There are still some fun TV shows out there, but if you [haven’t heard](, Hollywood is [cutting back](. As new material slows to a trickle, instead of watching The Wire a third time, try reading a book. We’ve been covering some of the best, check them out. [Inside the Near-Collapse and Resurrection of the Redstone Media Empire]( Unscripted authors James Stewart and Rachel Abrams dissect the prolonged, tumultuous battle over the media behemoth that is now Paramount Global—and reveal how, against all odds, Shari Redstone emerged victorious [The Best New Books of Spring: From Thrilling Mysteries to Deft Histories]( This season’s reading will keep us on our toes. [Before Venus and Serena, Tennis Had Althea Gibson]( A new book revives the reputation of tennis’s first Black star. [Go Behind the Hedges in Montecito, California’s Discreet Hamptons]( Prince Harry might be Montecito’s showiest resident but definitely not the richest. [The 52 New Books That Top Business Leaders Are Recommending—and Why]( Our annual list of what the most powerful people in business read this year. Music I hope to see this spring. Let me save you some time, Beyoncé is not on this list. But do you know what’s just as fun, with no [wait list](? Opera! (Please don’t click away, you’ve already made it this far. Please.) [Yuja Wang at the Los Angeles Philharmonic]( Because I’m a fool, I missed Wang’s [ethereal Rachmaninoff’ marathon]( at Carnegie Hall last month. The good news is I’ll be able to catch it again in Los Angeles—this time with conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who will [desert LA]( for NYC in 2026.  Through Feb. 19, Los Angeles [Joshua Bell and Daniil Trifonov at Carnegie Hall]( Celebrity violinist Bell joins Trifonov, who’s seamlessly transitioned from piano wunderkind to straight-up classical music star, for an unchallenging but utterly enjoyable night of Beethoven, Prokofiev and Franck. Feb. 28, New York [Champion at the Metropolitan Opera]( Fresh from the success of the Met debut of his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones in 2021, Terence Blanchard is treating New York to another work. This one tells the story of the world-champion boxer Emile Griffith, and is already the talk of the town. April 10–May 13, New York [Klaus Mäkelä’s debut at the Berlin Philharmonic]( Not yet 30 and already chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, Mäkelä is, by most accounts, the hottest new personality to hit the classical music scene in decades. Here, he’ll make his debut conducting the Berlin Phil, the (inarguably, in my opinion) world’s top orchestra. April 20–22, Berlin Real estate porn gets censored. It’s a really weird time in luxury real estate. Normally we fill Pursuits with property porn, but in recent months, most coverage has been less about gorgeous houses that make you feel inadequate, and more about how [no one wants to buy them](. [A Billionaire’s Luxury Development Fuels Fight Over Texas Hill Country]( [Super-Prime Real Estate in New York and Florida Has Hit a Wall]( [Land in Bel-Air Hits Auction Block at 70% Discount. Bids Start at $39 Million.]( [This Year, Luxury Homebuyers Will Look Further Afield for Deals]( [The Top 10 Most Expensive US Home Sales Are Giving Us Déjà Vu]( [A Real Estate Investor Has Big Plans for a Remote-First Company]( So, you had some questions? Here’s some answers! Keep them coming for next week via our [Bloomberg Pursuits Instagram]( and [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net?I%20have%20a%20question). Does the Hermès NFT lawsuit mean that NFTs aren’t legally art? It’s such an interesting case. On Feb. 8, a Manhattan federal jury [ruled]( that the “MetaBirkin” NFTs (non-fungible tokens) violated Hermès’ rights to the “Birkin” trademark. Now, it will probably come as a shock, but I am obliged to mention that I am not a lawyer and have no legal expertise whatsoever. (That is, unless you want to include the six hours I spent scrolling on my phone waiting to get dismissed from jury duty four years ago.) But just so there’s no ambiguity: When I write about this I am not speaking from a position of authority, or giving even a hint of legal advice. Don’t you dare try to make digital art with this. Or else. Photographer: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP Instead, I’m coming at it as someone who’s [chronicled]( the [efforts]( of the NFT creator/collector community to court legitimacy and respect. A lot of people have spent a lot of time and money to [make the case]( that NFTs are just as valid an art form as paintings, and so this jury’s verdict that the “MetaBirkin” NFTs aren’t protected speech under the First Amendment would seem to be a pretty big blow to the field. Bloomberg [reported]( that the verdict “may have a chilling effect on NFT artists who want to use trademarks in their projects,” because the “jury determined that the NFTs are more akin to consumer products subject to strict trademark laws.” That doesn’t seem like a great precedent. Should I buy art this year? Why not, as long as [you have some extra cash](? I’d qualify that though, because currently the art market is in flux. A booth inside the 2022 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach. Photographer: Mark Blower Anecdotally, many collectors have told me that they consider prices for work by young artists to be way too high, and I know several people who now refuse to spend more than $30,000 on a painting by an untested 20-something on principle. Similarly, I’ve been hearing about a lot of formerly “hot” young artists’ markets quietly plummeting. The middle market doesn’t seem to be doing much better. At Art Basel Miami Beach, the last big art fair of 2022, dealers were having a [hard time]( selling anything that was priced between $400,000 and $1.2 million, and I’ve been hearing that prices in that tier are, in several instances, falling by more than a third. Lots of people showed up to Frieze Art Fair in London last year. Will similar crowds show up to Frieze LA, which opens next week? Photographer: David M. Benett/Getty Images Europe So if I were buying contemporary art right now, and FYI, I’m not, I would be going out of my way to figure out what if any justification a dealer had for the artist’s price. Just because something costs a lot of money doesn’t mean you should pay it. Will you fly to Amsterdam to see the Vermeer show? Great question. Yes, I am going to see the Vermeer show in Amsterdam, right before I go to Maastricht for [TEFAF](, which has been called “the most beautiful art fair in the world.” That’s probably an accurate statement… but it’s a pretty low bar. Anyway, see you there? [Here’s a travel guide if you need it.]( Amsterdam: Come for the art, stay for the almost inconceivably good-natured Dutch people. Photographer: Sander Baks New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? 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