The Development of the Vienna Art Market, 1770–1820: Art Collecting and Art Dealing in Times of Upheaval
In the late 18th and early 19th century the Vienna art market was characterized by extraordinary dynamism. There was a huge upswing – going beyond class boundaries – in the collecting of paintings, prints and drawings, while at the same time the stationary art trade became increasingly professionalized. In this phase of transition, sizeable art collections were assembled at rapid speed, only to be dispersed again just as quickly. Via a combined evaluation of different, and in some cases neglected sources (e.g. auction announcements, estate settlements and sales catalogues), the project probes the mechanisms and functioning of the Vienna art market during this period. Key areas of focus are the social diffusion of fashions in collecting, the establishment of a professional art trade and auction-house system, and Vienna’s increased internationalization and impetus as a marketplace. The project hereby devotes itself to individual representatives of different facets of the art market: collectors (e.g. Kaunitz, Hagen, Golitsyn), art dealers (Artaria, Mechetti, Braun) and agents (Adamovics).
