Artistic Clusters and Modern Artists’ Mobility - An Empirical Study

Based on a global sample of the 214 most prominent modern visual artists born between 1850-1945, this paper analyses the extent of mobility and the determinants of the decision to locate in the artistic clusters of Paris and New York. It is argued that the extent of mobility decreases over time and traveling is a complement to relocating permanently. Moreover, French and German artists move considerably less and American artists significantly more than their counterparts born elsewhere. A location choice model shows that the affiliation with an artistic style is a good predictor for the likelihood of moving to a cluster. This can be explained by specialised human capital spillovers. For both clusters, short-term visits are a substitute for permanent relocation. Having received formal art training increases the likelihood of moving to New York, whereas the patronage system is an important relocation factor only in the case of Paris.

Location matters: Estimating cluster premiums for prominent modern artists

This paper shows that 'location matters' in terms of premiums on creative clusters and peak ages. The analysis is based on the 214 most prominent modern visual artists born 1850-1945 and the art clusters of Paris and New York. Auction records of the past 20 years are used to estimate the value of artworks over an artist's career. The overall cluster premium for paintings produced in Paris and New York is found to be 11% and 43%, respectively; paintings made in Paris during the First World War have a premium of 14% while those produced between 1946 and 1975 have a premium of 27%. New York offers premiums for paintings produced there for all periods after the First World War, peaking at 74% between 1946 and 1975. When decomposing this premium, we find that quality rather than quantity of artists in the location is driving the results. It is argued that artists working in a cluster location reach a peak in the age-price profile of their work significantly earlier than artists working elsewhere.Modern artists Geographic concentration Economic geography Cities Human capital Peer effects

Artistic styles: revisiting the analysis of modern artists’ careers

Modern artists, Age, Life cycle, Creativity, N80, Z11,