PRUE GIBSON discusses four artists from a gallery in Darlinghurst which has some of the most serene exhibition spaces in Sydney.

BEATA TWOREK-MATUSZKIEWICZ discusses the delicate business of restoring and caring for bark paintings and the best conditions in which to display them.

Space, like time, is in short supply these days. This is true for most of the major art galleries around the world and extends to the homes of private collectors too. Many institutions and individuals have too many artworks and not enough walls. The answer is professional storage.

When in late November 2008 the federal Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, announced that the Labor government would establish a national droit de suite scheme commencing in July 2009, one could have anticipated that artists would applaud it, auction houses and commercial galleries would decry it, while accountants, lawyers and economists would generally give it the thumbs up.

Provenance is interwoven with the physical art object and can increase its collectability, inherent value and monetary value. Naming vendors in catalogues can thus be a powerful promotional tool for auction houses.

Earlier this year, the Art Gallery of New South Wales showcased a private photography collection with a difference. Instead of buying gorgeously arty photographs by big-name photographers, the collector Robert Dein had turned to the colloquial end of the spectrum. Dein collected found snapshots dating between the 1860s and ’70s that showed everyday people doing everyday things.

Portends for the art market are couched in somewhat gloomy terms, but for this veteran gallerist such challenging times can be a good thing, presenting different sorts of opportunities and a refocus on works of enduring quality. ROD PATTENDEN catches up with art dealer Paul Greenaway.

What constitutes an original artwork? What is the value of an artist-signed work? Is the authenticity of a work compromised by the artistic input of studio assistants and technicians? In the second half of this series, SASHA GRISHIN looks at the culture of silence surrounding fakes and dubious provenance that is rife in the art market.

The art of the con reaches new highs as fraud and chicanery turn to art leasing scams in the latest crimes of persuasion. It's all headed our way, warns ROBERT BURATTI.

Though the dust finally settled following the withdrawal of Christies from our shores, market corrections and calls for tighter regulation of the Australian art market have dampened the enthusiasm of buyers and sellers for the high drama of the auction room. SHIREEN HUDA reports on the vagaries of the current art market.