UPDATED: VIPs Forced to Wait in Line or Turned Away at SELECT

Crowding was only the start of issues at the SELECT art fair’s grand opening Wednesday night. We waited in line for 45 minutes outside Center548, the old Dia building, before skipping to the front as press. When we did, we saw collectors being told they needed to wait in line with everyone else. No one bothered checking our credentials when we arrived. We enjoyed the special treatment for press, but when collectors are being told they need to stand in line for an hour it seems inappropriate and unfair to the galleries.

The problem, it seems, stems from the fair’s policy of sending out VIP passes to virtually anyone on their mailing list. There’s simply no way for the door to identify collectors, thus enraging visitors, reports The Art Newspaper. “I’ve already lost two collectors, you need to let people in!” yelled one dealer from the doorway. We contacted the fair for comment earlier in the day, but they have not returned our emails.

UPDATE: Curator and Co-Founder Brian Whiteley issued the following statement over email: