„Becoming a brand name is an important part of life. It’s the world we live in.“ (Damien Hirst)

The international art market has changed significantly over the past decades. It does no longer consist of an elite circle of dedicated admirers of art, but has become a globally expanding trade that is characterised just as much by an emerging new class of collectors as by rapidly rising prices paid for contemporary works particularly.

The role of the artist has also changed considerably in this period of time: From a primarily artisanal role in the Middle Ages, the emancipation of the artist to a freelance individual in the Renaissance, to the deliberate (self-) marketing, an increasing focus on the person of the artist can be observed.

Examples, such as Andy Warhol who wanted to be a business man and staged the stylisation of his person by wearing sun glasses and a wig, or Jeff Koons who as a celebrity artist fashioned himself into a brand in the media, show how important the person behind the work has become. Artist are becoming brands just like consumer or luxury goods. What is it that makes an artist a brand and how is it established? What significance does it have for the contemporary art market?

It is the goal of my doctoral thesis to work out a new approach to be used in the art market research that has been established recently as a new academic direction at universities. Using an empirically set up study, a model is to be developed that will generate new insights to the branding of artists in the contemporary art market. My doctoral thesis will supplement research on how an artist’s brand is established and what impact or significance it has both from a theory of art and economical perspective and when looking at it in a general context.