Tastemakers: past and present
Weekend-long art theory and business course
16 June 2018 10am - 5pm17 June 2018 10am - 5pm
British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£540. Includes light refreshments and lunch on both days and a wine reception.
The Great Spectacle
Terms and conditions
Led by Dr Anna Dempster, the Royal Academy’s Head of Academic Programmes, this weekend course offers critical insights into the role of the tastemaker: one of the most fascinating yet enigmatic characters of the art world.
Comparing the context of early art academies of the 17th-18th century and the current contemporary art world, experts and scholars will discuss the impact that they had and still have, on the system, as well as how tastemakers affect the structures and practices of the art world in both cutting-edge theory and real-world experience.
The notion that the aesthetic and market value of a work of art are interconnected is widely accepted within the context of museums, galleries, auction houses and other art institutions. However, how a work’s value can be positioned technically, reputationally and culturally in relation to taste is far more complex.
Assessing value in art, whether financial, cultural or aesthetic, is a complex operation that reflects both objective and subjective opinions, and as such is deeply rooted in the relationship between contemporary and individual taste.
Tastemakers, whether they are individuals or institutions, play an essential role in shaping the contemporary art world not only as the arbiters of value and aesthetic style but often also as the centre of complex influential networks. The scope and degree of their influence also has practical implications for artists as well as dealers and institutions such as museums and galleries.
The 18th and 21st centuries are two key periods in the development of the contemporary art world, seeing the emergence and growth of new institutions and the players within them. With the formation of the early academies and emergence of a new class of collector, the role of those who could influence process and practices at the time of the early museums was critical. More recently, with the growth of the international market for art, powerful galleries, auction houses, art fairs and other commercial ventures, has seen the role of the taste-maker as a market mover and market-maker once again become key.
This course will consider the history of tastemakers – the individuals, men and women as well as the institutions – who have become the mediators and arbiters of taste and whose influence, knowledge, networks and personalities have shaped the art world in the past and the art scene, cultural institutions and market today.
This course will also consider a number of key questions:
• How the art scene changed in last two centuries in relation to tastemakers who could influence it?
• Why is it important to consider the connection between key institutions in the historical and current art scenes and their markets?
• What is the difference between an art valuer, connoisseur and a tastemaker?
• How do tastemakers regard and use their power; how and why?
• What is the role of the artist in relation to tastemakers, institutions and individuals?
Understanding the role played by a tastemakers and their relationship to the art world is therefore critical for both individuals and institutions who want to take part in the art world. This course introduces and de-mystifies the power of these key players as pure aesthetic connoisseurs providing both an historical exploration of this topic as well as an holistic perspective.
References are made to different sectors including the French Academy, the Royal Academy of Arts and the contemporary international art world.
About the course
This course provides a unique opportunity to learn about key institutions and individuals who play an important role in the recognition of value in arts.
The course provides an historical and business perspective on the origins of the art market and art system, which is relevant for both institutions and individual artists and collectors.
Sessions are designed to enable an historical and business overview for those new to the field, but is relevant for those with prior art world knowledge keen to learn from experts.
The course will be delivered in part through a lecture format, but will include an opportunity for questions and discussion between speakers and participants.
This course is for you if:
• You have a general interest in art business, and would like a novel way to understand cultural and historical change.
• You are interested in gaining knowledge about the history of the art market, from both a historic and interdisciplinary approach.
• You have a personal or professional interest in how art can be valued, acquired, and interpreted by different audiences.
• You currently work, or aspire to work, in the art and cultural sector and want to understand the interaction between different players and tastemakers in the arts, and be exposed to art world professionals and leading scholars.
Minimum age 18
This course is suitable for all levels
£540
Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 June 2018
10.00am-5.00pm on both days
• A rich combination of lectures, discussion, and the opportunity for expert-led answers from a range of art world speakers
• An exploration of the history of the origin of the art market and how art is viewed and understood
• Skills and knowledge relevant to those with art historical and arts management interests
• The opportunity to socialise and network with peers in a friendly environment
• A certificate of participation at the end of course completion
• A course pack and extended reading lists
• Light refreshments and lunch on both days
• A drinks reception at the end of the first day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutors: Dr Anna Dempster and guest speakers
Dr Anna M Dempster is Head of Academic Programmes at the Royal Academy of Art and College Research Associate at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, where she also sits on the Fine Arts Committee. Anna was previously Associate Professor in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, responsible for the art business, finance and management unit as well as teaching strategy, entrepreneurship and research methods all specially tailored for the art world. Prior to that she was Director of Research at the Creative Industries Observatory, University of the Arts London and Founding Director of the MSc/MA in Creative Industries at Birkbeck College, University of London. She has research and teaching experience in leading international institutions including the University of Cambridge, London Business School and Rotterdam School of Management and she regularly consults for practitioners and policy-makers. She holds a BA and MPhil in History from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Management Studies from the Judge Business School, Cambridge, UK.
Dr. Rachel A J Pownall is a Professor at Maastricht University, holding the first global chair in arts and finance. She obtained her PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2001. Her research interests broadly cover the realm of understanding investor behavior, with a particular focus on art markets and assets with an emotional attachment. Her work has been published in a number of international Journals, including the European Economic Review and the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and has been covered by the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Times, and the Telegraph. In 2017, she authored the TEFAF art market report, as well as the more recent special issue of the Online Focus: Art Market Report.
Born in Sydney and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, Dr. Tim Hunter was awarded first class honours in Modern History in 1988. He completed his doctorate in Medieval History in 1993. In 1989-1992 he taught History and History of Art at University College, Oxford, before joining the curatorial staff at the Ashmolean Museum in 1992. Tim Hunter has extensive industry experience in the art, auction and valuations world with 16 years of in Christies International Auction House holding positions as Senior Director of Old Master and British Pictures, Head of 19th-Century European Art, and Director of Impressionist and Modern Art. He subsequently worked for five years as a Director at Gurr Johns Ltd, one of the UK’s leading art advisory firms. Tim is currently Vice President at Falcon Fine Art where he helps collectors to maximise and enhance their art, antiques and collectibles portfolios. He regularly sits on the Reviewing Committee for the Export of Works of Art, acts as an adviser to several national museums as well as the Arts Council, and in 2014, Hunter was elected a Fellow of the Society.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.