Considered fusty in the boom years, Europe’s biggest showcase of classic art is now the event of the season, with $4 billion worth of Gauguins, Botticellis and Roman statues. Going shopping in a museum. For years, this 10-day Dutch fair was considered a footnote in the annual art market calendar. During the boom, collectors put a premium on high-profile contemporary art sales like the Art Basel fairs in Switzerland and Miami and the biannual modern and contemporary art sales of Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London and New York. While prices for Rembrandt and Raphael rose slightly, prices for living artists like Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons were skyrocketing to record highs.- from WSJ