Call for Book Chapters: A Worldwide Market for Old Masters between the Napoleonic Era and the Great Depression
Editors: Susanna Avery-Quash and Barbara Pezzini
Deadline: 1 February 2017
The editors are soliciting chapter abstracts for an edited collection with the provisional title of: A Worldwide Market for Old Masters between the Napoleonic Era and the Great Depression. The volume will be an edited collection of around 15 essays, each of 6-7,000 words plus footnotes with up to 5 illustrations. It is envisaged that the collection will be part of the Oxford University Press series on the History of Collecting, edited by Christina Anderson and Peter Stewart.
This project stems from a panel convened by Susanna Avery-Quash at the conference, ‘Creating Markets: Collecting Art’, which took place at Christie’s in July 2016, as part of Christie’s 250th anniversary celebrations. In the light of the positive feedback received at the conference, the editors have decided to broaden scope of the book to include historic studies about the Old Master market in Australia, Africa and Australasia.
The book aims to explore for the first time in a comprehensive way the worldwide movement of Old Master paintings by investigating some of the most significant agents, dealers and commercial galleries who flourished during the period and their international networks. The editors are seeking for contributions that map analytically this expansion and explore the ways in which the pioneering practices of agents and dealers contributed to shape a changing market. They desire, in particular, contributions that make use of new archival resources.
They are seeking contributions from scholars of the Old Masters Market 1800-1930 in its broadest sense, with a special interest in business history and/or attention to commercial international connections. The following topics are particularly desired:
• Germany, Italy and other European countries
• Asian, African and Australian countries
• Smaller dealers and alternative networks of circulation
• The firm of Duveen Brothers
Submission requirements:
Please send a 500-word abstract (excluding bibliography) with a title, a 150-word biography, and a short CV and contact info (for each author/co-author) to both Susanna.Avery-Quash@ng-london.org.uk and barbarartpezzini@gmail.com by 1 February 2017.
Notification of decisions: by 1 March, 2017