As the art market goes back to school this month, the question remains whether it can keep ticking over when times are clearly tough. Back in the early 1990s, many Western economies, including those of the US and UK, went into recession, a situation that the art market could not ignore. Art businesses that are not closing or cancelling are beginning to find alternative ways to manage through the current gloom. History has taught us at least that if the economy is OK, then the art market is OK. Secondly, the art market looks to have its own distinct issues, rooted in a change of taste that questions its very essence of ownership.