Who are they putting their money on, and what is their prognosis for the future?

Gorry Gallery There is a certain doffing of the cap towards those who have survived generations in the area, such as James Gorry of the Gorry Gallery on Molesworth Street. He is the third generation of his family in the restoration and framing business, although he now runs a gallery with his wife Therese, specialising in 18th, 19th and 20th century art and holds exhibitions four times a year . . .

the next one on Wednesday includes works by James Arthur O'Connor, George Barret, Edwin Hayes and watercolours by Rose Barton and Fanny Curry. These are painters Gorry is convinced will never go out of fashion.

And who would constitute a good client? An Taoiseach, suggests Therese Gorry. The Gorrys' passionate interest in painting brings people to the gallery for advice, and they inevitably become clients.

John de Vere White More passion for art emanates from John de Vere White, who has cut a dash on two streets in the area for more than 20 years, having moved from Molesworth to Kildare Street.

Among the many artists he would put his money on is Hughie O'Donoghue. He also discovered young artists such as Yvonne Moore, who is now successful and has benefited from his encouragement.

De Vere is concerned that art has become so expensive.

He has teamed up with Rory Guthrie and plans to hold regular affordable art sales.

"There are seriously rich people out there who don't want to spend 30,000 and 40,000 on paintings and who are very happy to buy a good quality inexpensive painting."

If he has any prognosis for the art business it is to go along with what the pundits are saying all around him, which is that "there is no end in sight".

Adams There is an end in sight for the Adams auction house on St Stephen's Green . . . that is, an end to the old James Adam dynasty, started in 1887, and a new beginning with a partnership of James O'Halloran, Brian Coyle and Stuart Cole, who now head the business.

Among those whom Cole cites as safe artists are Sean McSweeney, William Crozier, Patrick Hickey, Nano Reid and Barry Cooke, although his own personal favourites are 18th century artists such as George Barret and Thomas Roberts.

He believes art has a good future since people have more leisure time, more art education and more opportunities to travel, making them less obsessed with Irish art. Cole says contemporary abstract art is gaining ground and that his best client is simply anyone who comes through the door.

Jorgensen Fine Art Anyone who comes through the door at Jorgensen Fine Art finds a Georgian building with two floors entirely devoted to art. Ib Jorgensen, who has been at the Molesworth Street premises for 14 years, is proud of the stock he has built up, including Laetitia Marion Hamilton, Norah McGuinness, Roderick O'Conor, George Campbell, Hilda Von Strockholm, Rose Barton, Mildred Anne Butler, Festus Kelly, Barry Cooke, Gerard Dillon, Derek Hill and Miro.

His prognosis for the trade is upbeat. "We had our best year last year. I imagine the business will always be healthy."

Whyte's Ian Whyte burst into this artistic quarter five years ago and set up Whyte's on Molesworth Street, shaking up the competition.

Whyte's grandfather ran the China Emporium at Marlborough Street, and Whyte himself set up some doors away, specialising in coins, stamps and ephemera. Whyte's puts its money on artists such as Mick Millar, Hughie O'Donoghue and Alice Maher.

Associate director Jane Eckett says the trend is towards paintings from the 1960s and '70s, such as those by Robert Ballagh and Michael Farrell, and that those from the '80s will come to the fore.

Leinster Gallery Loretto Meagher of the Leinster Gallery on South Frederick Street is moving upward.

She has been in South Frederick Street for nine years, first in a basement gallery and now in her new premises, at street level a few doors away.

She has 30 years in the gallery business under her belt.

Artists hanging in her gallery (she recently held a John Kingerlee exhibition) can include anyone from Niall Shawcross and Cecil Maguire to Brian Ballard and Norman J McCaig. There's a swing towards abstract art, she says, with young people are buying it more and more.

Ashe Wellesley Gallery Christopher Ashe of the Ashe Wellesley Gallery at 25 South Frederick Street also believes people are now seeking out contemporary art. His idea of a good client is one who doesn't complain too much.

The whole art business has got rather hyped, he says, and he doesn't know how long it will last. "It took a tumble in the 1980s but the economy is much stronger now and shows no sign of dying down."

Apollo Gallery The Apollo Gallery has been in the business for 35 years, first on Duke Street and now on Dawson Street. Julian Charlton says it promotes its artists, who are listed on its website (Marie Carroll, Tom Byrne William Mulhall, Annie Robinson), although you will find a broad mix of artists in the window: Flora Mitchell, Norah McGuinness, Markey Robinson, Charles Brady.

Charlton believes you can't narrow art down to names, labels and prices. It's a more humanising experience, he says. It's not a sector of the economy, it's about civilisation.

The Molesworth Gallery Ronan Lyons and Terese Crowley have been running The Molesworth Gallery in Molesworth Street for the past seven years. Among the artists they represent are Blaise Smith, Sheila Pomeroy, John Kirwin, Eugene Conway, Maeve McCarthy and Padraic Mac Miadhachain.

"We have clients who pester us before a show, " Lyons says.

"We have, on occasion, sold paintings as they come out of the delivery van, even before the show is up and running."

His prognosis for the art business is good. "The market is maturing. People have a more sophisticated taste."

Gormleys Gormleys art gallery opened just a month ago on South Frederick Street and is the new kid on the block, although the proprietors are veterans, having almost warehouse-size galleries in Omagh and Belfast.

Owner Oliver Gormley is happy to promote more recent artists such as Michael Smyth, Rita Duffy, Ross Wilson, James Brohan, Gary Devon, Liam O'Neill, and sculptors John Behan and Paddy Campbell.

"The client I enjoy most is the one buying their first piece of art and starting on a journey that will change and enrich their life, " says Gormley.

He believes the new wave of young enthusiastic art collectors ensures a healthy prognosis for the art world.

Taylor Galleries Taylor Galleries at 16 Kildare Street moved from Dawson Street in 1978. Owner John Taylor had worked in the Dawson Gallery until it closed. Its artists include Micheal Farrell, Sean McSweeney, Martin Gale, Mary Lohan, Brian Bourke, Tony O'Malley, Charles Brady and Anne Madden. It is "confident" about the prospects for the trade.

Sothebys Sothebys has been in Dublin for 15 years and moved into Molesworth Street in 1999. It is holding its first contemporary Irish art sale in London next October and is taking submissions now. It will have 100 lots, including Sean Scully, Hughie O'Donoghue, Louis Le Brocquy and Patrick Scott.

"It will be our pioneering contemporary Irish art sale, " says Arabella Bishop.

Sothebys holds its annual Irish traditional art sale in May.

It's tough finding good Irish traditional art, Bishop says.

"The days of waiting for people to come to us are gone. You have to go out and hunt now. Good art is difficult to get."