Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in On Balance , the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up here to receive it every Wednesday.

On the Saturday before the opening of Art Basel Paris , two art professionals I’m friendly with found themselves trapped in a Paris metro station. Protesters were stampeding down the stairs, trailed by clouds of tear gas. They couldn’t see, could barely breathe, and struggled to find their way out. When they finally emerged onto the street a block or two away, people were sitting in restaurants, eating and drinking as though nothing had happened.

Related Articles

The contrast is almost comical, though I doubt anyone caught in the tear gas was laughing. One minute, you’re wondering whether you’ll make it out of a subway station.…