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| Photo of ARCA Class 2013 |
Art Historian Dr. Tom Flynn led the first course of ARCA's Postgraduate Certificate Program in International Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection Studies.
Dr. Flynn, a London art lecturer and docent, began "The International Art Market and Associated Risk" on Monday by asking the students to consider the question ‘what is the relationship between economic and aesthetic value’. During the week he went through the history of the art market and explored how ideas of value were initially generated and understood within it. The class looked at how the fashion for Cabinets of Curiosity stimulated an interest in enlightened thought and then later in the 18th century how the first auction houses in London, Christies and Sotheby’s, stimulated an interest in creating collections of art. We learned how the desire to form collections of all things Classical and Italian was initiated by the travels made by the young aristocracy that had travelled to Greece and Italy on their ‘Grand Tours’.
Dr. Flynn, a London art lecturer and docent, began "The International Art Market and Associated Risk" on Monday by asking the students to consider the question ‘what is the relationship between economic and aesthetic value’. During the week he went through the history of the art market and explored how ideas of value were initially generated and understood within it. The class looked at how the fashion for Cabinets of Curiosity stimulated an interest in enlightened thought and then later in the 18th century how the first auction houses in London, Christies and Sotheby’s, stimulated an interest in creating collections of art. We learned how the desire to form collections of all things Classical and Italian was initiated by the travels made by the young aristocracy that had travelled to Greece and Italy on their ‘Grand Tours’.
With his vast experience in the art
market Dr. Flynn guided the class through its complex structure, explaining the contemporary
significance and ever-evolving roles of every faction: the auction houses, the
art dealers, art collectors, museums and the art media. He created a very easy atmosphere
for debate and discussion and right from the off everyone was keen to
contribute knowledge gained from their different experiences of the market. The
vibrant mix of nationalities and expertise in the class made for a fascinating
arena of discussion and those with specialist areas of knowledge brought
valuable insights to share with the class, such as Anna Knutsson who, having
worked as a researcher and cataloguer at The Smith Library and former
Sales-room assistant at Christies, has had a lot of experience in the market of
books and manuscripts.
Students
also shared their own cultural/national perspectives. Mink Boyce, a gallerist and art
consultant from Auckland, shared her experiences of working in the New Zealand
art market. She spoke of the
complicated ethical issues surrounding the trading of traditional Maori art,
and the need for greater cultural sensitivity in the art market when dealing
with such works. This discussion
arose from a mention of the recent controversial sale in Paris that auctioned
off Native American Hopi and Zuni tribal masks.
Every day after class, the debates have been
transferred with enthusiasm to either Punto di Vino – a sophisticated wine bar
just around the corner that welcomes the ARCA students like family -- or Bar
Leonardi – a bar placed just outside the gate which offers an authentic Italian
bar experience.
On Tuesday morning, Monica Di Stefano
(ARCA’s resident Amerino) directed those who had signed up for
Italian lessons in their first ciao’s
and mi chiamo’s. Armed with their exercise books, the
students moved very speedily through the basics and by Thursday morning could
be seen rushing into Caffe Grande before class to confidently test out their new
skills on Massimo, everyone’s favorite barista.
On Saturday, at 7.45 a.m., more than 20
students made their way by bus to the beautiful Umbrian town of Orvieto. Monica
Di Stefano, the trip’s tour guide, spoke of the city’s history from its
inception as a major Etruscan settlement to its interesting relationship to the
papacy in the Renaissance period and to being the one-time home of Thomas
Aquinas. The highlight for all the
students seems to have been Luca Signorelli’s astonishing San BrizioChapel in the Duomo, whose powerfully exaggerated nudes are famously thought to
have been inspiration for Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgement’ fresco in the Sistine
chapel. When asked about the trip, ARCA student Georgina
Roberts said, ‘A quaint town with
astronomical amounts of culture… and great ice cream’.
That evening many ARCA students joined the locals of Amelia in a pizza evening hosted by the ‘Collis’ contrada. Amelia, like many medieval towns of
Italy, such as Siena, is divided into condrade,
and these zones of the city compete in various medieval events throughout the
year. The evening was finished off
with music and a raffle, where ARCA student Sloane Taliaferro won third prize: a snazzy
beach-bag and tights.
By Sunday everyone seemed a bit
exhausted. Most people were seen taking it easy in the sun - when it wasn’t
raining - but a few were hurriedly finishing their assignments for Dr. Flynn or
desperately flicking through Noah Charney’s book Stealing the Mystic Lamb in
preparation for Monday’s class.
Sophia Kisielewska recently finished her MA History of Art degree from the University of Edinburgh , which included a year of study at the Universita' di Roma Tre.
Sophia Kisielewska recently finished her MA History of Art degree from the University of Edinburgh , which included a year of study at the Universita' di Roma Tre.
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