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Arts & Communication Review of 2023 symposium on the global art market

to display their collections. The role of private collectors communication?” Her work addressed the relationship
and art institutions in cultural diplomacy and global between the economic (price) and artistic (quality) value of
art networks has grown, reflecting a shift beyond their artworks, raising critical questions about the gap between
traditional roles as contemporary artworks from various market prices and artistic recognition. With the rise of social
regions become part of international cultural programs, media, Moureau examined the role of digital information
including loans and sales. in the art market, emphasizing its importance in signaling
and influencing the recognition of artists and their work.
8. Market methodology: Price as the key Her research also uncovered a hierarchy between artistic
Price is a key component of market research. With the and economic value, highlighting the need to distinguish
advancement of information technology, digital archiving between authentic art information and market noise, and to
has become widely used, and art market databases promote the dissemination of “real” art information.
have been established, providing a vital foundation for The study of primary sources has become a significant
studying both the history and current state of the art focus of art market history research in recent years.
market. Research tools and service providers for art prices However, the challenge with this research method lies in
have become a driving force in the globalization of the obtaining reliable data and interpreting it accurately, when
art market. Professional art market data services have the original materials themselves may contain errors. Xin
improved market transparency, reduced information Yu of the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, in his article “A
asymmetry between cross-regional markets, and fostered price study of the Armory Show in New York in 1913,”
the convergence of tastes between emerging markets and analyzed 762 exhibition transaction prices from the 1913
major Western art markets. Through global data and Armory shown in New York. He examined the transitional
information communication, a global art circulation phase during which the art market shifted its center
system has begun to take shape. Current research on art from Paris to New York and traced the dissemination of
market prices has led to the development of multiple European modern art in the United States. Price studies,
research paradigms. In historical research, price remains such as this one, provide a corrective framework for
an important indicator for mapping the historical scholars’ observations of the art market, highlighting the
trajectory and development of the art market, providing a importance of vigilance in assessing the authenticity and
micro-level perspective on its evolution. In contemporary accuracy of textual accounts of art transactions.
research, scholars worldwide are examining the
relationship between art price and art value, particularly Digital humanities have increasingly garnered
how this relationship is influenced by societal changes. attention in art market research, thanks to the advent
They seek to explore the logic behind the contemporary of new technologies. Zeng Da, a lecturer at the Capital
value of artworks. Normal University, presented his research on the post-
war art market in the United States. He employed a digital
The paper, “The price of art: A study of China’s art humanities approach to conduct a comprehensive study
market from a value-driven perspective” by Wang Ziqi, of the spatial distribution of the art market in Manhattan,
an Associate Professor at CAFA, does not directly analyze New York, using ArcGIS and Gephi software. The study
the art market quotations. Instead, it offers a structural revealed the geographic range of the art market, including
perspective on the study of the art market. Wang emphasized artists and dealers, and correlated it with historical stages.
the need to reassess traditional understandings of value Zeng also analyzed the core characteristics of collectors
within the art market, particularly in the context of the using a database of 613 art collectors. By applying a matrix
diverse social structures and values attached to different of relationships between collectors, the study developed
artworks. She argued for an explanatory framework that a clearer understanding of the collector landscape in the
can both respond to historical developments and shed United States during the latter half of the 20 century. By
th
light on the future. This framework would contribute to integrating digital humanities into an interdisciplinary
the study of the structure and technology of the Chinese research approach, this study uncovered previously
art market, including the evolution of the art market, the overlooked aspects of the art market and provided a
role of the auction houses, and the impact of social and broader understanding of its historical evolution.
technological changes on art market paradigms.
Nathalie Moureau, a Professor at the Paul Valéry 9. Conclusion
University Montpellier 3, presented her research on “Artistic In the post-pandemic era, the globalization of art market
and economic value(s): How are they influenced by digital research has progressed alongside the development

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 9 doi: 10.36922/ac.4713