Dreams of easy money are a recurring fantasy among art fair entrepreneurs, both seasoned and green. Art Basel held its first full-sized Hong Kong edition since pre-pandemic 2019, overflowing with more than 240 galleries across two floors, and overrun by mainland visitors and international museum groups. Transactions, on the other hand, were subdued, even by Covid-era standards. It was heard that Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz descended to his knees to assuage angry gallerists during the first two preview days due to initially tepid sales, although by the end of the week, most gallery directors were sighing with relief after better-than-anticipated numbers.