Bloomsbury Art Markets: Protagonists, Networks, Provenances | eReviews

This groundbreaking work allows users to investigate and consider the intricate relationships between artists, institutions, galleries, and collectors. A unique and thoughtfully curated collection that is highly recommended for researchers and students in the humanities.

Bloomsbury Art Markets

CONTENT

A recent addition to Bloomsbury’s Visual Arts Hub, Bloomsbury Art Markets is the first resource of its kind to offer unprecedented access to scholarly, peer-reviewed materials centered on art galleries, auction houses, art fairs, dealers, and pivotal figures in the art world in Europe and North America from 1900 to the present. This database is directed toward students, faculty, and researchers seeking information on influential figures in the art market, provenance research, and the history of schools, movements, and styles of art, as seen through the lens of auction activity, exhibitions, and geography.

The resource launched with over 2,200 peer-reviewed articles. That number has grown to over 3,000 entries and is expected to be fully complete in 2025 with a projected 4,000 articles. Entries include overviews of the firm’s or individual’s history, biographical data, historical narratives, associated artists, partners, selected exhibitions, and related primary and secondary sources. Articles and entries are supplemented by videos describing how the database can be used to enhance provenance research and further research and teaching in the arts. A full-length webinar and a recording of the launch event offer additional insights, including a panel discussion on research tools and an audience Q&A.

USABILITY

The homepage is attractive and engaging, anchored by a gorgeous picture of Max Slevogt’s 1928 painting Auktion Huldschinsky, which serves as an entry to the database’s “About” page. Below this image are links to an introduction from Editor in Chief Johannes Nathan, notes on standards and parameters from the editors, a full listing of the editorial team, and video content. The resource’s central content can be accessed through four prominently located tiles: galleries, art dealers, auction houses, and art fairs.

Clicking on the content tiles returns near-instant results that can be refined through a range of facets (content type, place, period, people, schools, movements, styles, and more). Articles adhere to the same format, with bibliographic and institutional details at the top, followed by biographical narratives, primary- and secondary-source bibliographies, and lists of related artists, exhibitions, and galleries. Links to related content within the resource are available in the side navigation menu, and links to outside content, when available, are embedded in each article’s bibliography.

Users can browse the collection or conduct targeted advanced searches that mine Bloomsbury Art Markets, along with any other Bloomsbury collection that the institution may subscribe to. All results can be saved to the user’s personal account, printed, shared, and cited in APA, MLA, or Chicago style.

PRICING

Bloomsbury Art Markets is available for purchase via perpetual access or subscription, with pricing based on institutional category and FTE. Perpetual-access pricing ranges from $6,790 to $27,160, plus an annual content update fee of $100, beginning one year after the initial purchase and covering access to updated articles. Annual subscription pricing ranges from $561 to $4,526. Consortia discounts may be available. Pricing for individuals is available upon request.

VERDICT

This groundbreaking work allows users to investigate and consider the intricate relationships between artists, institutions, galleries, and collectors. A unique and thoughtfully curated collection that is highly recommended for researchers and students in the humanities.

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