The Duke Art, Law & Markets Initiative (DALMI) is pleased to announce the 2017 winners of the Sotheby’s Institute of Art Research Award, Caroline Frank (Trinity ’18) and Jason Kaplan (Trinity ’18). This highly competitive prize is awarded annually by The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) for original student research papers and digital projects related to art markets. For the first time in the history of this award, two Duke students have received this prestigious award for their research. Caroline and Jason used extensive raw data made available through the Getty Research Institute and Duke’s library sources to map how a market reacts when art is determined by totalitarian ideologies. The focus of “Der Berliner Kunstmarkt: An Analysis of the Berlin Art Market, 1930–1945” was on auction sales of paintings in Berlin during the turbulent period between 1930 and 1945. The award’s Committee Chair, Lee Sorensen, described their work as follows:  “Kaplan and Frank took diverse data from an understudied yet highly important period to identify unusual trends defined by these unique conditions. Using a judicious blend of art history and economic analysis, their research paves the way for future investigation though computer analysis and deep historical insight.”

 

            This original research paper was initially developed as a final project for Professor Hans van Miegroet’s History of Art Markets in the spring 2017 semester. Caroline and Jason revised their initial research under the supervision of DALMI research assistants, Kaylee Alexander (Ph.D. Candidate, AAHVS) and Fiene Leunissen (Research Scholar, AAHVS). This resulted in an original contribution, and was, after a rigid selection process, accepted by the ARLIS committee. Caroline and Jason have been awarded a substantial cash prize and were presented with the award at the ARLIS/NA 46th Annual Conference in New York City. Next to presenting their research in New York, their work will be considered for publication in Art Documentation. Duke University Libraries has also received funds as the sponsoring library, and will facilitate Caroline and Jason’s continued investigations with the DALMI research team in Art & Markets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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