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“The Master of …”: creating names for art history and the art market

Author

Listed:
  • Kim Oosterlinck
  • Anne-Sophie Radermecker
  • Kim Oosterlinck
  • Anne-Sophie Radermecker

Abstract

The value of a painting is influenced above all by the artist who created it and his reputation. Painters nowadays are easy to identify and are used to signing their artworks. But what about those whose names have not survived the test of time? This paper contributes to the understanding of art valuation and art brands on the auction market. It focuses on a particular subset of anonymous artists labelled with so-called provisional names (“Master of …”). After considering the origins and reception of the practice of creating names for unrecorded artists, we empirically investigate the market behaviour of this niche segment. Based on comparative price indexes and hedonic regressions, we show that masters with provisional names have not only become autonomous brand names that are highly valued by the art market; they also outperformed named artists between 1955 and 2015. In the second phase, we analyse the provisional-name linked elements valued by the market. We find that art market participants pay attention to the creator of the provisional name, its long-term recognition and market visibility, and the typology of the names.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim Oosterlinck & Anne-Sophie Radermecker & Kim Oosterlinck & Anne-Sophie Radermecker, 2018. "“The Master of …”: creating names for art history and the art market," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/286584, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulb:ulbeco:2013/286584
    Note: SCOPUS: ar.j
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    Cited by:

    1. Kim Oosterlinck & Anne-Sophie Radermecker & Yuqing Song, 2025. "The valuation of copies for Chinese artworks," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 49(1), pages 99-140, March.
    2. Mariangela Lavanga, 2025. "Natasha Degen: Merchants of style: art and fashion after Warhol," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 49(1), pages 237-240, March.
    3. Kim Oosterlinck & Anne-Sophie Radermecker & Yuqing Song, 2023. "The Valuation of Copies for Chinese Artworks," Working Papers CEB 23-008, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    4. Anne-Sophie V. E. Radermecker, 2019. "Artworks without names: an insight into the market for anonymous paintings," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(3), pages 443-483, September.
    5. Francesco Angelini & Massimiliano Castellani, 2019. "Cultural and economic value: a critical review," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(2), pages 173-188, June.
    6. Alessia Crotta & Filip Vermeylen, 2020. "Does nudity sell? An econometric analysis of the value of female nudity in Modigliani portraits," ACEI Working Paper Series AWP-02-2020, Association for Cultural Economics International, revised Dec 2020.
    7. Kim Oosterlinck & Anne-Sophie Radermecker, 2021. "Regulation or Reputation? Evidence from the Art Market," Working Papers CEB 21-006, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • Z11 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economics of the Arts and Literature

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