An open discussion on the meaning and value of art.
How much is a work of art worth? In the past, the criteria were very concrete, including: size and surface area, techniques used, quantity and quality of raw materials, subjects, days of work involved, the places where the works were destined to be displayed, and estimated values. These were very objective criteria, and an artist who was unable to keep such complex accounts could end up bankrupt, as happened to Rembrandt.
Today, the global art market seems to answer this question perfectly, based on the intersection of current historical-critical hierarchies with the law of supply and demand. Art attracts capital because of its ability to combine aesthetic, symbolic and heritage value. The work thus becomes a financial asset, but it is not without risks and opacity: price volatility, lack of transparency, conflicts of interest and speculation. It is therefore these dynamics that measure the artist’s fame as well as the value of beauty, originality, relevance and provocativeness. How such abstract and subjective values can be priced is a puzzle worth exploring.
introduction
Irene de Vico Fallani MAXXI Head of the Guidance and Development Department
Paola Ansuini Department of Customer Protection and Financial Education – Bank of Italy
speakers
Guido Maria Brera business executive and writer
Cesare Pietroiusti artist
moderator
Massimo Sterpi Gianni & Origoni Law Firm Partner, Friends of MAXXI President
Lo scambio infinito is a series of three meetings to discuss how currency is in constant and inseparable relation with the main dimensions of human beings: thought and philosophy; beauty, art and its value; innovation, technology and finance.
in collaboration with MUDEM – The Bank of Italy’s Money Museum
individual seats reserved for myMAXXI cardholders by writing to mymaxxi@fondazionemaxxi.it, by the day before the event
An open discussion on the meaning and value of art.
How much is a work of art worth? In the past, the criteria were very concrete, including: size and surface area, techniques used, quantity and quality of raw materials, subjects, days of work involved, the places where the works were destined to be displayed, and estimated values. These were very objective criteria, and an artist who was unable to keep such complex accounts could end up bankrupt, as happened to Rembrandt.
Today, the global art market seems to answer this question perfectly, based on the intersection of current historical-critical hierarchies with the law of supply and demand. Art attracts capital because of its ability to combine aesthetic, symbolic and heritage value. The work thus becomes a financial asset, but it is not without risks and opacity: price volatility, lack of transparency, conflicts of interest and speculation. It is therefore these dynamics that measure the artist’s fame as well as the value of beauty, originality, relevance and provocativeness. How such abstract and subjective values can be priced is a puzzle worth exploring.
introduction
Irene de Vico Fallani MAXXI Head of the Guidance and Development Department
Paola Ansuini Department of Customer Protection and Financial Education – Bank of Italy
speakers
Guido Maria Brera business executive and writer
Cesare Pietroiusti artist
moderator
Massimo Sterpi Gianni & Origoni Law Firm Partner, Friends of MAXXI President
Lo scambio infinito is a series of three meetings to discuss how currency is in constant and inseparable relation with the main dimensions of human beings: thought and philosophy; beauty, art and its value; innovation, technology and finance.
in collaboration with MUDEM – The Bank of Italy’s Money Museum
individual seats reserved for myMAXXI cardholders by writing to mymaxxi@fondazionemaxxi.it, by the day before the event