Sad Germans: Art Basel Will Be "The Embodiment of Failure"

Germans are not exactly the most cheerful people, so it's no surprise that Deutschland's biggest magazine, Der Spiegel, has one of the most depressing previews of Art Basel we've seen so far.

"On the fourth of December, the fair will open for a seventh time, and, as always, several German galleries are represented among the 250 exhibiters. And yet, suddenly, everything is completely different. Perhaps now the buying show will become the embodiment of failure, of the kind of fall that follows hubris. A grand collapse seems imminent."

Other phrases found in the piece: "amid gloom and financial chaos," "a confession of desperation," "everything is about the depression," and "the beginning of the end." What the hell, Der Spiegel? You are being a serious bummer. Cheer up, drink some Weizenbock, listen to some Kraftwerk, and take it easy on the schadenfreude.

-- Kyle Munzenrieder (It's an Austrian name, ok. There's a difference)