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Diff-in-Diff in Death: Estimating and Explaining Artist-Specific Death Effects

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  • Heinrich Ursprung
  • Katarina Zigova

Abstract

We investigate how an artist’s death impacts on the price of her artwork by estimating individual death effects of a sample of famous visual artists who died between 1985 and 2010. Using data from art auctions that took place in a narrow window around the artists’ death, we apply various econometric methods, including regression discontinuity and differences-in-differences strategies. The heterogeneity in death effects across artists turns out to be substantial and can, in large part, be explained by age and reputation at death. This result is robust to various specifications and measures of reputation. We present as an exacting test the case of Keith Haring, whose terminal illness was communicated by him well in advance.

Suggested Citation

  • Heinrich Ursprung & Katarina Zigova, 2020. "Diff-in-Diff in Death: Estimating and Explaining Artist-Specific Death Effects," CESifo Working Paper Series 8181, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8181
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp8181.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David W. Galenson & Bruce A. Weinberg, 2000. "Age and the Quality of Work: The Case of Modern American Painters," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(4), pages 761-777, August.
    2. Heinrich W. Ursprung & Christian Wiermann, 2011. "Reputation, Price, And Death: An Empirical Analysis Of Art Price Formation," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 49(3), pages 697-715, July.
    3. Federico Etro & Elena Stepanova, 2015. "The Market for Paintings in Paris between Rococo and Romanticism," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 28-50, February.
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    9. David W. Galenson & Robert Jensen, 2001. "Young Geniuses and Old Masters: The Life Cycles of Great Artists from Masaccio to Jasper Johns," NBER Working Papers 8368, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dakshina G De Silva & Georgia Kosmopoulou & Rachel A J Pownall & Robert Press, 2022. "Posthumous trading patterns affecting artwork prices [Financial returns, price determinants, and genre effects in American art investment]," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(2), pages 453-472.
    2. Hefeker Carsten & Potrafke Niklas, 2021. "Heinrich W. Ursprung – Herausragender Ökonom, Mentor und Ratgeber," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 22(4), pages 370-374, November.
    3. Etro, Federico & Stepanova, Elena, 2021. "Art return rates from old master paintings to contemporary art," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 94-116.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    art auction prices; death effect; reputation; differences in differences; regression discontinuity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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