This genie is already out of the bottle. The entire world of retail has changed greatly in the past few years (talk to any musician or film-maker) - and that change has been good for some, and not for others. Galleries will cope (or not), but I for one have no interest in dealing with a gallery that won't let me know who owns my work. That just seems... rude.

And besides - with most artists having websites now, what in the world would stop a collector from contacting the artist on their own? Unless we are supposed to stay sealed in our little studio bubbles?

The gallery dealer quoted above is absolutely right. "long term, the most interested (read
profitable) clients will migrate to buying directly from the artist."

And many "bricks and mortar" galleries will go out of business. Like many record stores have. That's not good - or bad - it just IS. Both artists and gallery owners will need to figure out what their new roles are.

But hoarding contact information isn't useful to anyone.