Art Market Research

This book is intended as a reference guide for art market researchers at all levels. A brief overview of the global art market and its major stakeholders precedes an analysis of the various sales venues (auction, commercial gallery, etc.) where art is bought and sold. Library research skills are reviewed, and advanced methods are explored in a chapter devoted to basic market research. Because the monetary value of fine and decorative artwork cannot be established without reference to the aesthetic qualities and art historical significance of our subject works, two substantial chapters detail the processes involved in researching and documenting fine and decorative arts, respectively; these chapters include highly selective, annotated bibliographies on each topic addressed. Methods for discovering or assigning the value of fine and decorative arts objects are explored, and sources of price data, both in print and online, are identified and described in detail. In recent years, art historical scholarship increasingly addresses issues related to the history of art and its markets; with this in mind, a chapter on resources for the historian of the art market offers a wide range of both primary and secondary data sources. Finally, provenance and art law are discussed, with particular reference to their relevance to dealers, collectors, artists and other art market stakeholders.