Department of Economics Management and Statistics

In the Marketing Cluster (Department of Economics Management and Statistics) a research line was developed to analyze the contemporary art and design market and the relationships between cultural industries.

The ARG (Art & Culture Research Group) was born as an experimental model to attract the resources, interests and research goals in the Milano-Bicocca University related to art and cultural heritage economy. The group, integrating with the B-ASC group, develops theoretical and applied research projects on the correlation between art, culture and economy, based on the multidisciplinary logic that involves Marketing & Management, Economy and business management, Statistics, Tourism economy, Cultural Heritage Economy and Cultural Heritage Law.

In particular Federica Codignola is developing the research “Arte, mercati dell'arte e creazione di valore: il ruolo del locale e il ruolo del globale”, with to fields of applications: “Art markets” and “Economics and management of cultural heritage (Art museums studies / Visitors studies, Art, culture and territories, Cultural tourism). "Art markets" is based on the study of material and immaterial systems in the art market. First, the analysis is performed on the market infrastructures (auction houses, art exhibitions, art galleries), then the actors of the market are studied, such as the network of artists, dealers and collectors. The topic is declined analyzing the concept of "value" in art under economical, symbolic and social parameters. Another analyzed aspect is related to the art markets related to globalization, studying the influence of national culture on the behaviour during the art purchasing moment.

Therefore, the globalization of the art marketplace is studied under a theoretical cross-cultural point of view, considering both national and transnational users. “Economics and management of cultural heritage” is studied considering the institutions (museums, networks), events (design week, art fairs, etc.) and management:

- related to the social and economic impact of art and culture in a specific area (urban renovation/innovation, value creation) and

- related to the globalization aspects (new users, new fruition modes/new technologies).

In both cases, the main topic is the analysis of the potentiality given by the relation between art and territory/local resources (artists, institutions, business; spaces, visitors, identity) and by the understanding of all the aspects related to the globalization process. Federica Codignola is working on a project on the contemporary art collection, in particular in the case study of the collection Pinault, while Francesca Capo is involved in the Farm Cultural Park (https://www.farmculturalpark.com/), a project born in Favara (Agrigento) that support the urban regeneration through culture and education, creating more economic value of the territory and promoting empowerment and community engagement.

Silvia Marchesi presented a COST Action Proposal OC-2020-1-24942 "ART markets: emergence, TRAnsformation and DEcline"). The research field is centred on art marketplaces. In 2014 her paper “The Labor Market in the Art Sector of Baroque Rome" won the Annual prize in Work Economy "Ezio Tarantelli". Prof. Riccardo Viale is the supervisor of a project on the behavioural variables to attract visitors to the Roman Cultural Heritage in Marocco, Herbert Simon Society, founded by Fondazione Terzo Pilastro, Roma (ex Fondazione di Roma).