Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India
In recent years, researchers have expressed renewed interest in the visual arts, which can be seen as one of the main providers of upper-class symbolic goods and status signals for cultural elites. India has not yet been included in that body of work. Although important insights do exist on India, a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud
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| Series: | South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4271 |
| _version_ | 1797316299008770048 |
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| author | Olivier Roueff |
| author_facet | Olivier Roueff |
| author_sort | Olivier Roueff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, researchers have expressed renewed interest in the visual arts, which can be seen as one of the main providers of upper-class symbolic goods and status signals for cultural elites. India has not yet been included in that body of work. Although important insights do exist on India, a systematic empirical inquiry has yet to be made. The present article offers a step in that direction, through the statistical analysis of 101 Indian galleries and the 4,249 artists they present in their catalogs. Does the way galleries share artists reveal specific characteristics about the Indian art world? Is the usual opposition between “commercial” and “artistic” galleries relevant for contemporary India? What are the roles of auctions and international fairs? Do Indian galleries prefer representing artists, or storing and exhibiting their works? What insights do their strategies and hierarchies offer about the cultural standards of Indian elites? This article offers a typology of Indian art galleries based on a network analysis (blockmodeling). It reveals a hierarchized system, the weight of the auction market, and a strong economic and aesthetic boundary between international experimental art and national modern art. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:16:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-048f780344f94241b68da590227b9b98 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1960-6060 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:16:15Z |
| publisher | Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-048f780344f94241b68da590227b9b982024-02-12T15:38:40ZengCentre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du SudSouth Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal1960-60601510.4000/samaj.4271Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in IndiaOlivier RoueffIn recent years, researchers have expressed renewed interest in the visual arts, which can be seen as one of the main providers of upper-class symbolic goods and status signals for cultural elites. India has not yet been included in that body of work. Although important insights do exist on India, a systematic empirical inquiry has yet to be made. The present article offers a step in that direction, through the statistical analysis of 101 Indian galleries and the 4,249 artists they present in their catalogs. Does the way galleries share artists reveal specific characteristics about the Indian art world? Is the usual opposition between “commercial” and “artistic” galleries relevant for contemporary India? What are the roles of auctions and international fairs? Do Indian galleries prefer representing artists, or storing and exhibiting their works? What insights do their strategies and hierarchies offer about the cultural standards of Indian elites? This article offers a typology of Indian art galleries based on a network analysis (blockmodeling). It reveals a hierarchized system, the weight of the auction market, and a strong economic and aesthetic boundary between international experimental art and national modern art.https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4271art galleriesnetwork analysiscultural intermediariesIndian art worldart fairs and art auctions |
| spellingShingle | Olivier Roueff Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal art galleries network analysis cultural intermediaries Indian art world art fairs and art auctions |
| title | Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India |
| title_full | Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India |
| title_fullStr | Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India |
| title_short | Elite Delights: The Structure of Art Gallery Networks in India |
| title_sort | elite delights the structure of art gallery networks in india |
| topic | art galleries network analysis cultural intermediaries Indian art world art fairs and art auctions |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4271 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT olivierroueff elitedelightsthestructureofartgallerynetworksinindia |