Pioneers of the Global Art Market: Paris-Based Dealer Networks, 1850-1950 (Contextualizing Art Markets)

By the turn of the twentieth century, Paris was the capital of the art world. While this is usually understood to mean that Paris was the center of art production and trading, this book examines a phenomenon that has received little attention thus far: Paris-based dealers relied on an ever-expanding international network of peers. Many of the city's galleries capitalized on foreign collectors' interest by expanding globally and proactively cultivating transnational alliances. If the French capital drew artists from around the world-from Cassatt to Picasso-the contemporary-art market was international in scope. Art dealers deliberately tapped into a growing pool of discerning collectors in northern and eastern Europe, the UK, and the USA. International trade was rendered not just desirable but necessary by the devastating effects of wars, revolutions, currency devaluation and market crashes which stalled collecting in Europe. Pioneers of the Global Art Market assembles original scholarship based on a close inspection of and fresh perspective on extant dealer records. It caters to an amplified curiosity concerning the emergence and workings of our unprecedented contemporary-centric and global art market. This anthology fills a significant gap in the expanding field of art market studies by addressing how, initially, contemporary art, which is now known as historical modernism, made its way into collections: who validated what by promoting and selling it, where, and how. It includes unpublished material, concrete examples, bibliographical and archival references, and should appeal to academics, curators, educators, dealers, collectors, artists and art lovers alike. It celebrates the modern art dealer as transnational impresario, the global reach of the modern-art market, and the impact of traders on the history of collecting, and ultimately on the history of art. List of Plates List of Figures Series Editor's Introduction Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction: Pioneers of the Global Art Market: Paris-Based Dealer Networks, 1850-1950, Christel H. Force (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA) -- 2. Parisian Dealers and the American Market, 1860-1920, Paolo Serafini ( Sapienza Universita di Roma, Italy), translated by Angelica Modabber -- 3. Old and New Worlds: Durand-Ruel and the International Market for Impressionism, Jennifer A. Thompson (Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA) -- 4. Moving Mountains: Paris-Based Dealers and the Economics of Translocation, David M. Challis (Melbourne University, Australia) -- 5. Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler's International Partnerships, 1907-1937, Vřane Tasseau (Independent Scholar, France), translated by Celia Abele 6. Promoting Modernism in the 1920s: The Art Journals of Paul Guillaume, Lǒnce Rosenberg, and Alfred Flechtheim, Ambre Gauthier (Marc Chagall Foundation, Paris, France) -- 7. Paul Guillaume, Marius de Zayas and African Arts: A Transatlantic Partnership, 1914-1923, Yal︠le Biro (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA) -- 8. The Thannhauser Galleries: Forming International Alliances in an Era of Change, Valerie Nikola Ender (University of Cologne, Germany) -- 9. "A Viking sailing over the savage sea, far, far to the north": Walther Halvorsen, Christel H. Force (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA) -- 10. When French Dealers "Turned their Eyes Towards Scandinavia": The Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet in Stockholm, Christina Brandberg (University of Loughborough, UK) -- 11. The Galerie Paul Rosenberg and the American Market in the Interwar Era, MaryKate Cleary (New York University, USA) -- 12. International Dealer Networks and the Market for Impressionism in London and Glasgow: Etienne Bignou, A.J. McNeill Reid, and Ernest Lefv̈re, Frances Fowle (University of Edinburgh, UK) -- 13. Etienne Bignou: The Gallery as Antechamber of the Museum, Christel H. Force (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA) -- 14. Capricious Cohorts: Ren ̌Gimpel's Associates, Rivals, and Patrons Diana J. Kostyrko (Australian National University, Australia) -- 15. Valentine Dudensing and the Valentine Gallery: Selling the US on the School of Paris, Julia May Boddewyn (Independent Scholar, USA) -- 16. Conclusion, Veronique Chagnon-Burke (Christie's Education, New York, USA) "While Paris was the capital of the art world at the turn of the twentieth century, many of the city's galleries expanded globally and cultivated international alliances, capitalizing on foreign collectors' interest. If production was focused in the French capital, which drew artists from around the world - from Van Gogh to Picasso - the contemporary-art market was international in scope, and art dealers tapped into the ever-growing pool of discerning collectors in Northern and Eastern Europe, the U.K., and the U.S. Moreover, these traders were forced to counter the devastating effects of wars, revolutions, currency devaluation, and market crashes which stalled collecting in Europe and rendered transatlantic trade not just desirable, but necessary. This book assembles original scholarship based on a close inspection of and fresh perspective on extant dealer records that have only recently become available to researchers. It caters to an amplified curiosity concerning the emergence and workings of our unprecedented contemporary-centric and global art market. This anthology fills a significant gap in the burgeoning field of art market studies in that it addresses how, initially, contemporary art (which has since become historical modernism) made its way into collections -- who validated what by selling and buying it, why, where, and how - complete with concrete examples, bibliographical and archival references, which should appeal to scholars, dealers, collectors, curators, educators, artists and art lovers alike. It celebrates the modern art dealer as transnational impresario, the global reach of the modern-art market, and the impact of traders on the history of collecting, and ultimately on the history of art"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents List of Illustrations Series Editor’s Introduction Acknowledgments 1- Introduction -Pioneers of the Global Art Market: Paris-Based Dealer Networks, 1850–1950 Christel H. Force 2 Parisian Dealers and the American Market,1860–1920 Paolo Serafini Translated by Angelica Modabber 3 Old and New Worlds: Durand-Ruel and the International Market for Impressionism Jennifer A. Thompson 4 Moving Mountains: Paris-Based Dealers and the Economics of Translocation David M. Challis 5 Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler’s International Partnerships, 1907–1937Vérane Tasseau Translated by Celia Abele 6 Promoting Modernism in the 1920s: The Art Journals of Paul Guillaume, Léonce Rosenberg, and Alfred Flechtheim Ambre Gauthier 7 Paul Guillaume, Marius de Zayas, and African Arts: A Transatlantic Partnership, 1914–1923 Yaëlle Biro 8 The Thannhauser Galleries: Forming International Alliances in an Era of Change Valerie Nikola Ender 9 “A Viking Sailing over the Savage Sea, Far, Far to the North”: Walther Halvorsen Christel H. Force 11 The Galerie Paul Rosenberg and the American Market in the Interwar Era MaryKate Cleary 12 International Dealer Networks and the Market for Impressionism in London and Glasgow: Etienne Bignou, A.J. McNeill Reid, and Ernest Lefèvre Frances Fowle 13 Etienne Bignou: The Gallery as Antechamber of the MuseumChristel H. Force 14 Capricious Cohorts: René Gimpel’s Associates, Rivals, and Patrons Diana J. Kostyrko 15 Valentine Dudensing and the Valentine Gallery: Selling the United States on the School of Paris Julia May Boddewyn 16 Conclusion Veronique Chagnon-Burke Contributors Index