A cultural history of the first truly modern art market, Marketing Art in the British Isles, 1700 to the Present furthers the burgeoning exploration of Britain's struggle to carve a niche for itself on the international art scene. Bringing together scholars from the UK, US, Europe, and Asia, this collection sheds new light on such crucial notions as the internationalization of the art market; the emergence of an increasingly complex exhibition culture; issues of national rivalry and emulation; artists' individual and collective strategies for their own promotion and survival; the persistent anti-commercialism of an elite group of art lovers and critics and accusations of philistinism levelled at the middle classes; as well as an unquestionable native British genius at reconciling jarring discourses. Essays explore the unresolved tension between artistic aspirations and commercial interest - a tension that has come to shape Britain's national artistic tradition - from the perspectives of artists, dealers and (super-) collectors, and the upwardly mobile middle classes whose consumerism gave rise to the British art market as it is known today. Specific case studies include Whistler, Roger Fry, Damien Hirst, and Charles Saatchi; essays consider art markets from London and Manchester to Paris and Flanders.

About the Author

Dr Charlotte Gould is a former student of the Ecole Normale Superieure in Cachan, she is Senior Lecturer at Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle and works on contemporary British art.

Dr Sophie Mesplede is Senior Lecturer at Universite Rennes 2, where she works on eighteenth-century British art.

Reviews

'The book is an important addition to an expanding literature on the British art market and will be welcomed by those university art history departments that have been expansive enough to embrace the economic history of art. It also has much to contribute to a clearer understanding of the broader patterns of promotion and consumption that have been fashioned over time...' Cercles

'The introduction alone is enough to justify recommending the book ... this dense, well-written book is a constructive contribution to the understanding of the British art market, long-neglected in art history, and will no doubt benefit any scholar interested in the complex links between art and commerce in the British Isles.' Miranda

Book Information
ISBN 9781138255814
Author Charlotte Gould
Format Paperback
Page Count 302
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g