Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted Access (SIA Only)
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Contemporary Art
First Advisor
Maria Sancho-Arroyo
Second Advisor
Aliza Shvarts
Abstract
A curated auction is one of the latest trends in the auction business. A curated auction is a sale that is ‘curated’ by one of the prominent tastemakers. This concept tends to be exceptionally beneficial for the auction houses, since they are able to attract many new audiences. A curated auction is a new strategy of selling art and it raises many questions. Why is this trend profitable for the auction business? Why do auction houses need curators? Why do auction houses invite celebrities from any professional fields but not educated curators to curate such sales? How does the role of an auction curator differ from the role of a museum curator? However, one of the most thought-provoking discussions can be based on the analysis of the role of the curator in curated sales and how it affects the final revenue of the auction house. Understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships of this tendency can lead to unique discoveries in this field of study.
Recommended Citation
Klimko, Elizaveta, "The Role of the Curator in Curated Auctions, through the Lens of Sotheby’s Examples" (2019). MA Theses. 48.
https://digitalcommons.sia.edu/stu_theses/48