This is the first sourcebook to trace the emergence and evolution of art markets in the Western economy, framing them within the larger narrative of the ascendancy of capitalist markets. Selected writings from across academic disciplines present compelling evidence of art's inherent commercial dimension and show how artists, dealers, and collectors have interacted over time, from the city-states of Quattrocento Italy to the high-stakes markets of postmillennial New York and Beijing. This approach casts a startling new light on the traditional concerns of art history and aesthetics, revealing much that is provocative, profound, and occasionally even comic. This volume's unique historical perspective makes it appropriate for use in college courses and postgraduate and professional programs, as well as for professionals working in art-related environments such as museums, galleries, and auction houses. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 2017. This is the first sourcebook to trace the emergence and evolution of art markets in the Western economy, framing them within the larger narrative of the ascendancy of capitalist markets. Selected writings from across academic disciplines present compellin

This book takes an interdisciplinary, transnational and cross-cultural approach to reflect on, critically examine and challenge the surprisingly robust practice of making art after death in an artist's name, through the lenses of scholars from the fields of art history, economics and law, as well as practicing artists. Works of art conceived as multiples, such as sculptures, etchings, prints, photographs and conceptual art, can be—and often are—remade from original models and plans long after the artist has passed. Recent sales have suggested a growing market embrace of posthumous works, contemporaneous with questioning on the part of art history. Legal norms seem unready for this surge in posthumous production and are beset by conflict across jurisdictions. Non-Western approaches to posthumous art, from Chinese emulations of non-living artists to Native American performances, take into account rituals of generational passage at odds with contemporary, market-driven approaches. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, the art market, art law, art management, museum studies and economics.

"A comprehensive, wide-ranging and historically well-informed account." - Charles Saumarez Smith, Royal Academy of Arts It is estimated that there are over 300,000 companies involved in the world's art market, employing around 2.8 million people. But the art world carries a veneer of mystery and secrecy that many people find daunting, and the language used by market insiders can be alienating and confusing to those new to the art market. The A-Z of the International Art Market not only clarifies useful terms and definitions, but also represents a significant contribution to the fast-developing processes of transparency and democratisation in the global art business. Comprising art market terms and core concepts – both historical and contemporary – this book is a long-awaited reference source that offers a unique introduction to a dynamic business sector. The A-Z of the International Art Market provides an accessible and thorough insight into critical areas of market practice and custom that anyone involved in the art market will find useful and enlightening.

This groundbreaking text brings together experts in the field of visual art markets to answer some fundamental questions: Is art a good investment? Why is the art market dominated by America and Western Europe? Where are the key emerging markets and what are the next good buys in art? Providing readers with an understanding of the challenges facing art market 'makers' (dealers, auctioneers, collectors and artists) and the decision-making process experienced by market 'players' and investors, this exciting text merges the key theories with examples of practice in a highly accessible style. Written by an international array of experts from the US, the UK and China, this book is essential reading for all those studying or interested in art markets and management.

This Special Issue of Arts investigates the use of digital methods in the study of art markets and their histories. As historical and contemporary data is rapidly becoming more available, and digital technologies are becoming integral to research in the humanities and social sciences, we sought to bring together contributions that reflect on the different strategies that art market scholars employ to navigate and negotiate digital techniques and resources. The essays in this issue cover a wide range of topics and research questions. Taken together, the essays offer a reflection on what takes to research art markets, which includes addressing difficult topics such as the nature of the research questions and the data available to us, and the conceptual aspects of art markets, in order to define and operationalize variables and to interpret visual and statistical patterns for scholarship. In our view, this discussion is enriched when also taking into account how to use shared or interoperable ontologies and vocabularies to define concepts and relationships that facilitate the use and exchange of linked (open) data for cultural heritage and historical research.

Using the economic perspective, this exciting text offers an alternative view to sociological or art historic approaches to art. The issues discussed include: institutions from festivals to "superstar" museums, different means of supporting the arts, an investigation into art as an investment, and the various approaches applied when valuing our cultural properties. This text challenges widely held popular views and, once started, is difficult to put down.