Historicizing Global Contemporary Art Markets

The conference seeks to critically examine the infrastructures through which contemporary art circulates, acquires legitimacy, and accumulates value. By analyzing the trajectories of the art market since the late twentieth century, we interrogate the mechanisms of cultural and economic valuation that define the global contemporary landscape. We explore how artistic quality, innovation, and potential investment are constructed and negotiated, and how symbolic values intersect with economic systems. This session aims to historicize these transformations, reflecting on the extent of structural change versus market adaptation within the global art world.