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Beauty is in the bid of the beholder: An empirical basis for style

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  • Goetzmann, William N.
  • Jones, Peter W.
  • Maggioni, Mauro
  • Walden, Johan

Abstract

We develop a method for classification of works of art based on their price dynamics. The method is in the same spirit as factor models commonly used within financial economics. Factor models assume that price dynamics of assets are related to underlying fundamental characteristics. We assume that such characteristics exist for works of art, and that they are associated with what we intuitively think of as style. We use a clustering algorithm to group artists that represent similar styles. This algorithm is specifically well-suited for situations where statistical distributions are far from normal – a description we believe fits well with markets for art. We test the method empirically on a ten-year sample of price data for paintings by 58 artists. Even with this limited data set, we clearly identify five groups and show that these are related to a standard classification of style.

Suggested Citation

  • Goetzmann, William N. & Jones, Peter W. & Maggioni, Mauro & Walden, Johan, 2016. "Beauty is in the bid of the beholder: An empirical basis for style," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 388-402.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reecon:v:70:y:2016:i:3:p:388-402
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rie.2016.05.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Barberis, Nicholas & Shleifer, Andrei, 2003. "Style investing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 161-199, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. William N Goetzmann & Christophe Spaenjers & Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, 2021. "Real and Private-Value Assets [Gendered prices]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(8), pages 3497-3526.
    2. Hellmanzik, Christiane, 2016. "Historic art exhibitions and modern - day auction results," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 421-430.
    3. Federico Etro & Elena Stepanova, 2017. "Art Auctions and Art Investment in the Golden Age of British Painting," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 64(2), pages 191-225, May.
    4. Agnello, Richard J., 2016. "Do U.S. paintings follow the CAPM? Findings disaggregated by subject, artist, and value of the work," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 403-411.
    5. Laurie Cameron & William N. Goetzmann & Milad Nozari, 2019. "Art and gender: market bias or selection bias?," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(2), pages 279-307, June.

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