This paper proposes a price index for modern andcontemporary paintings based on estimates and auctionprices. We use this index for the evaluation of theItalian art market and for comparisons with returns onother assets. During the period 1983–1994 art pricesincreased in line with inflation but...

Computer and communication technologies created new modes of creating and sharing arts. In this paper, we apply ‘diffusion of innovation’ theory to investigate how artistic content travels in an online social network site called deviantArt, a site designed for sharing user-generated...

We analyze the price of paintings in Dutch inventories and auctions of the Golden Age. The econometric investigation emphasizes correlations between prices adjusted for inflation and characteristics of the paintings, of the painters, of the owners (job, religion, size of the house) and, in case...

In hedonic regression models of the valuation of works of art, the age or period at which an artist produces a particular work is often found to have highly significant predictive value. Most existing results are based on regressions that pool many painters. Although the uniqueness of artists'...

This paper shows that before (after) fakes’ discoveries, artworks are less (more) likely to be sold through Sotheby’s or Christie’s. Prices only react negatively with a lag, suggesting that sellers try to postpone their sales as long as possible.

Art is often used as an investment vehicle. Given the importance of market efficiency in finance, we use a large auction-based index to test whether the art market is weakly efficient. Evidence reveals that returns on artworks exhibit high positive auto-correlation. We attribute this result to...

The aim of this paper is to identify empirically the factors that influence the duration of the temporary exhibitions, distinguishing between prolonged and non prolonged ones. We use a sample of 259 exhibitions that took place in Italy over the period 2002-2005. The empirical evidence allows for...

The art market is subject to frequent booms and busts in both prices and volume,<br/>which are difficult to reconcile with models where agents are rational and<br/>hold homogenous beliefs. This paper shows that (i) volume is mainly driven by<br/>speculative transactions; (ii) positive price-volume correlation...

The art market is subject to frequent booms and busts in both prices and volume, which are difficult to reconcile with models where agents are rational and hold homogenous beliefs. This paper shows that (i) volume is mainly driven by speculative transactions; (ii) positive price-volume...

Aggregate art price patterns mask a lot of underlying variation — both in the time series and in the cross-section. The authors argue that, to increase our understanding of the market for aesthetics, it is helpful to take a micro perspective on the formation of art prices, and acknowledge that...