Artistic Clusters and Modern Artists’ Mobility - An Empirical Study

Based on a global sample of the 214 most prominent modern visual artists born between 1850-1945, this paper analyses the extent of mobility and the determinants of the decision to locate in the artistic clusters of Paris and New York. It is argued that the extent of mobility decreases over time and traveling is a complement to relocating permanently. Moreover, French and German artists move considerably less and American artists significantly more than their counterparts born elsewhere. A location choice model shows that the affiliation with an artistic style is a good predictor for the likelihood of moving to a cluster. This can be explained by specialised human capital spillovers. For both clusters, short-term visits are a substitute for permanent relocation. Having received formal art training increases the likelihood of moving to New York, whereas the patronage system is an important relocation factor only in the case of Paris.