Silvia Beltrametti

This course examines the relationship between art and the market, by exploring the economic, cultural and institutional processes that shape the meaning and value of art. Using examples drawn from the art trade in ancient Rome, collections formed during theRenaissance, art acquired by young aristocrats during their ?Grand Tour?, the market for modern art in the first half of the twentieth century, and the billion dollar contemporary art business with a specific focus on China, this course explores the relationship between artists and patrons, patterns of shifting taste, the role of dealers and the impact of auction houses on art collecting. We will also test the boundaries of the meaning of ?market? by looking at artwork acquired as a consequence of wartime looting, ethnic cleansing, or through forced exchanges. Students willread historical texts and scholarship connecting the process of artistic creation and the trade industry, and engage in the sustained analysis of individual artworks, as well as the market structures in which such artworks were produced and bought. Primary sources will include excerpts from the work of Cicero, Giorgio Vasari, Denis Diderot. Readings will among others include chapters from Georgina Adam, 'The dark side of the BOOM'; Michael Findlay, 'The Value of Art'; Isabella Graw 'High Price'; Olav Velhuis 'Talking Prices'; and, Clare McAndrew, 'The Art Economy'. I will share recorded interviews with arts professionals and collectors - but we will also meet a number of them in person. In-class film screening: the Price of Everything. In-class participation including weekly response comments to the readings (30%); an in-class case study presentation (10%); and a 15 page paper on a selected artwork (60%).

This course examines the relationship between art and the market, by exploring the economic, cultural and institutional processes that shape the meaning and value of art. Using examples drawn from the art trade in ancient Rome, collections formed during theRenaissance, art acquired by young aristocrats during their ?Grand Tour?, the market for modern art in the first half of the twentieth century, and the billion dollar contemporary art business with a specific focus on China, this course explores the relationship between artists and patrons, patterns of shifting taste, the role of dealers and the impact of auction houses on art collecting. We will also test the boundaries of the meaning of ?market? by looking at artwork acquired as a consequence of wartime looting, ethnic cleansing, or through forced exchanges. Students willread historical texts and scholarship connecting the process of artistic creation and the trade industry, and engage in the sustained analysis of individual artworks, as well as the market structures in which such artworks were produced and bought. Primary sources will include excerpts from the work of Cicero, Giorgio Vasari, Denis Diderot. Readings will among others include chapters from Georgina Adam, 'The dark side of the BOOM'; Michael Findlay, 'The Value of Art'; Isabella Graw 'High Price'; Olav Velhuis 'Talking Prices'; and, Clare McAndrew, 'The Art Economy'. I will share recorded interviews with arts professionals and collectors - but we will also meet a number of them in person. In-class film screening: the Price of Everything. In-class participation including weekly response comments to the readings (30%); an in-class case study presentation (10%); and a 15 page paper on a selected artwork (60%).