The liaison between European contemporary art institutions and superstar commercial galleries: a network analysis
2020
The contemporary art world is characterized by a lack of objective criteria and quality
uncertainty: different stakeholders cooperate and are mutually committed in the determination of
art as such. Contemporary art institutions and commercial galleries involved in the primary art
market are among its main contributors. Both exhibit and promote contemporary artists, but they
differ essentially in their purpose. Institutions in fact are driven by a cultural aim whereas gallerists
by a monetary one. This feature represents one of the cornerstones of the present art system. In fact,
the independence of institutions’ curatorial decisions appears to be crucial in the achievement of
their mission and in their cultural role in the contemporary art world. However, this type of
institution is characterized by cost disease and limited funds. Superstar commercial gallerists are
then able and interested in backing exhibitions in order to increase their artists’ visibility and,
consequently, their market value. This phenomenon represents a clear threat to the well-being of the
contemporary art world.
The present thesis in fact aims to detect a liaison between a small circle of superstar
commercial galleries and contemporary art institutions in Europe. In order to do so, a quantitative
method, defined as network analysis, is the most suitable in detecting ties between these two
stakeholders. The dataset was set up by including living artists, and their respective intermediaries,
that had major solo shows at a sample of 20 prominent European contemporary art institutions in
the last decade.
The results gave empirical evidence of a tendency for these institutions in exhibiting artists
represented by few superstar commercial galleries. These findings then trigger different
interpretations: superstar gallerists can be seen as reliable and informed quality certifiers in the
contemporary art system, undermining their institutional counterparts. Moreover, an economic, and
more concerning, explanation regards the formal irruption of the market sphere on the institutional
one. Superstar commercial gallerists, thanks to their outstanding turnovers, can represent a serious
menace to the cultural authority of institutions involved in the contemporary art world.
Undoubtedly, these two stakeholders are reciprocal in their essence but it is important to remark
how they have to be necessarily independent of each other.
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