Synopses & Reviews
By the time you read this book, the art world may have witnessed the sale of its first $500 million painting. Whilst for some people money is anathema to art this is clearly a wealthy international industry, and a market with its own conventions and pressures.
Drawing on the vast experience of Sotheby's Institute of Art, The Art Business exposes the realities of the commercial trade in fine art and antiques. Attention is devoted to the role of auction houses, commercial galleries and art museums as key institutions, with the text divided into four thematic sections covering:
- technical and structural elements of the art market
- cultural policy and management in art business
- regulatory legal and ethical issues in the art world
- the views, through interviews, of leading art market experts.
This book provides a thorough examination of contemporary issues in the art business, and the mechanisms and influences which underpin its evolution. It is essential reading for students of art history or international business, or anyone with an interest in pursuing a career in this area.
Synopsis
"Art Business "focuses on the business of art, which means combining business theories and practices with art-related issues. Traditional business subjects like business planning and finance, business communications and organisational behaviour and marketing are treated with attention to art business (e.g., dealing in fine art and antiques); they sit alongside more focused art-related courses like art valuation, investment and insurance, art and law, the art market and ethics, aesthetics and conservation. Certain themes structure the orientation of the text. The business of art requires understanding the classical industrial economy of "production, distribution and consumption." This means that key stakeholders, including artists, dealers/brokers, curators, critics, art historians and collectors (private individuals, corporations and museums), are engaged in forms of cooperation and competition. Face-to-face relationships (such as artist-dealer, dealer-collector and collector-artist) are a prominent feature in art business. Networking is about using shared interest to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships. The role of intermediaries like curators, critics, art historians in helping to validate the aesthetic worth of works of art, which can influence the financial value, raises ethical (conflict of interest) issues. The aim of the text is to provide graduate students with the skills and knowledge to progress to careers in the international art business community, a vital element of the so-called creative industries sector of the economy.
Synopsis
Focusing on the business of art, this outstanding book combines business theories and practices with art-related issues. It provides graduate students with the skills and knowledge to progress to careers in the international art business community, a vital element of the so-called creative industries sector of the economy.
Traditional business subjects like business planning and finance, business communications, organizational behaviour and marketing are treated with reference to art business (e.g. dealing in fine art and antiques); they sit alongside more focused art-related courses like art valuation, investment and insurance, art and law, the art market and ethics and aesthetics and conservation.
Written by some of the leading names in the field, this book is structured to complement a typical masters course in arts management. It is comprehensive yet entirely accessible and expertly blends theory with practice to tackle the subject in a comprehensible, student friendly manner.