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Sotheby's Institute of Art

MA Theses

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The Interplay Of Hollywood's Golden Age And The Evolution Of The Jewelry Industry: A Historical And Cultural Analysis, Man Luo Jan 2024

The Interplay Of Hollywood's Golden Age And The Evolution Of The Jewelry Industry: A Historical And Cultural Analysis, Man Luo

MA Theses

This thesis delves into the intricate interplay between Hollywood's Golden Age and the evolution of the jewelry industry, examining the dynamic relationship from three distinct angles. It first traces the historical lineage of the jewelry industry, spotlighting the American naturalization of European jewelry houses such as Mauboussin. Their involvement in Hollywood was enabled by the technological advancements within the film industry, and the creation of on-screen icons like Marlene Dietrich, collectively orchestrated the course of jewelry trends. This dynamic interplay significantly influenced the cultural and aesthetic zeitgeist during Hollywood's Golden Age. In the following section, the study delves into the …


Preventive Conservation Of Easel Paintings For Collectors In China: Navigating Challenges And Exploring Feasible Solutions, Di Lu Jan 2024

Preventive Conservation Of Easel Paintings For Collectors In China: Navigating Challenges And Exploring Feasible Solutions, Di Lu

MA Theses

This thesis explores the unique challenges faced by art collectors in China, particularly those investing in easel paintings amidst the rapid growth of the Chinese art market. These collectors, often constrained by budget limitations and limited access to high-quality conservation materials and expertise, face significant risks in preserving their cultural assets. The study delves into these specific risks and challenges, aiming to identify feasible strategies for preventive conservation within the Chinese context. Through an extensive review of literature, qualitative interviews with conservators, collectors, and experts, and in-depth case studies, this research offers practical, cost-effective recommendations for alternative materials and methods …


Himalayan Murals, Himalayan Buddhist Murals: Styles, Symbolic Themes And Historical Evolution, Jiazhen Zhang Jan 2024

Himalayan Murals, Himalayan Buddhist Murals: Styles, Symbolic Themes And Historical Evolution, Jiazhen Zhang

MA Theses

Himalayan Buddhist murals are decorative elements and represent profound artistic expressions laden with relevant cultural and religious values. Disseminated through monasteries and temples of the Himalayan regions, such as Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal, these murals represent a unique blend of religious art and cultural identity. According to Jackson, mural art was a longterm tradition in these areas, starting from the eleventh Century and being influenced by different schools of Buddhism throughout history. Jing further posits that the tradition of art reflects an active interaction between religious concepts and local art styles, influenced by socio-political transformations and cultural contacts between the …


Pearls Of Power: Navigating Empire And Kingship In The Nineteenth Century In Qing Dynasty China And Victorian England, Jinrui Chen Jan 2024

Pearls Of Power: Navigating Empire And Kingship In The Nineteenth Century In Qing Dynasty China And Victorian England, Jinrui Chen

MA Theses

This thesis provides an academic exploration of the socio-cultural and political connotations of pearl jewelry during the Qing Dynasty in China and the Victorian era in England. It examines the symbolic prominence of the Eastern pearl within the Qing Dynasty’s hierarchical and imperial contexts, juxtaposing this with the emotional and personal resonance of pearl jewelry in Victorian England. The study employs an array of primary Chinese sources and insightful case studies to investigate the dynamics of pearl harvesting, consumption, and perception, thereby unveiling the diverse roles pearls played in these distinct societies. This comparative approach addresses a gap in existing …


Envisioning Dynamic Cultural Platforms: Strategic Integration Of Contemporary Art In Japan's Socio-Economic Landscape, Shota Hachisako Jan 2024

Envisioning Dynamic Cultural Platforms: Strategic Integration Of Contemporary Art In Japan's Socio-Economic Landscape, Shota Hachisako

MA Theses

In this tale of transformative potential, the dissertation opens with Japan's unique juxtaposition of a burgeoning technological landscape against a modestly-sized art market. It envisions contemporary art as a dynamic force, capable of revolutionizing Japan's socio-economic fabric. This narrative of hope delves into how art, in Japan's context, can redefine corporate identities, fuel social innovation, and adapt to the digital age. The study advocates for an increased investment in the creative arts, seeing it as a key to merging Japan's rich cultural heritage with its economic aspirations. It paints a future where art not only enhances educational growth and international …


The Development And Impact Of Jingdezhen’S Ceramic Live Streaming, Yiyi Wang Jan 2024

The Development And Impact Of Jingdezhen’S Ceramic Live Streaming, Yiyi Wang

MA Theses

Jingdezhen is a renowned ceramic capital in China and abroad. Its porcelain
production dates back to the Tang Dynasty, reached its peak in the Song Dynasty, and continued to thrive during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, solidifying its status as one of the primary production areas for Chinese porcelain. Over time, Jingdezhen underwent social upheavals during the Republic of China period. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the porcelain industry underwent nationalization and modernization reforms, ensuring its sustained maintenance and development. Since the reform and opening-up, the porcelain industry in Jingdezhen has progressively embraced market mechanisms, incorporating …


Towards Sustainable Exhibition Practices: Assessing And Enhancing Sustainability In Art Exhibitions, Cato Wong Jan 2024

Towards Sustainable Exhibition Practices: Assessing And Enhancing Sustainability In Art Exhibitions, Cato Wong

MA Theses

Given the high degree of environmental impact of mega-scale art exhibitions, it is imperative to have strict environmental conservation policies in place to improve sustainability in the art industry. Sustainability is an inevitable future; thus, this study is designed to find the reality of sustainability in the art sector through surveys. Fundamentally, the study aims to study the current sustainable practices, identify the challenges, and discover the intervention points that can be used to enhance environmental stewardship. This study establishes a solid scientific basis for making knowledgeable decisions with the goal of improving environmental efficiency, lessening carbon emission intensity, and …


The Effects Of Ai Image Synthesis On Graphic Design, Ji Ren Jan 2024

The Effects Of Ai Image Synthesis On Graphic Design, Ji Ren

MA Theses

From 1763 when Thomas Bayes developed a framework to infer event probabilities, to the end of 2022 when the world-renowned AI research laboratory Open AI launched Chat GPT, a language model based on AI technology, statistical computing-based AI has revolutionized human life. AI image synthesis can simulate the processes and methods of human painting through machine learning, deep learning, and other methods, thereby generating high-fidelity images. There is growing concern about how AI image synthesis will affect the art world as it advances. The art market could be reimagined, authorship and creativity concepts challenged, and traditional artistic practices disrupted by …


The Application And Impact Of Digital Technology In Jewelry Art, Lai Tai Jan 2023

The Application And Impact Of Digital Technology In Jewelry Art, Lai Tai

MA Theses

Since the invention of the first electronic computer in 1946, digital technology
has gone through three stages: the computer, the Internet, and a new-generation of information technology. The form of digitalization has different background and
environment, and the meaning explained is also different. The digitalization of
specific affairs is actually in a narrow sense, while the digitalization of enterprises and organizations is mostly in a broad sense. Digital technology has a big feature, which is that it can let you leave the physical world and come to the digital world. The digital technology revolution promotes the digital transformation of mankind. …


The Study Of Reciprocal Impact Between Dehua And European Porcelain: An Analysis Of The Influence On Porcelain Making Skills, Shapes, And Decoration Styles, Xuening Hu Jan 2023

The Study Of Reciprocal Impact Between Dehua And European Porcelain: An Analysis Of The Influence On Porcelain Making Skills, Shapes, And Decoration Styles, Xuening Hu

MA Theses

The present study investigates the reciprocal impact between the Dehua porcelain and European porcelain, and possible aesthetics in monochrome by exploring the history and significance of Dehua porcelain in relation to its connection with European porcelain. The article discusses the origins and evolution of Dehua porcelain, including its characteristics, kilns, and exportation to other parts of the world, particularly Europe. It also analyzes the influence of Dehua porcelain on the creation and development of European porcelain, from the Rouen, to Meissen, S.Cloud, and Chelsea company and Sèvres company porcelain. The article also
examines the impact of European merchants on the …


The Printmaking Boom And Its Effect On The Future For The Market For Prints And Multiples, Helen H. Condo Jan 2022

The Printmaking Boom And Its Effect On The Future For The Market For Prints And Multiples, Helen H. Condo

MA Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the history of the market for prints and multiples beginning with the print renaissance of the 1960s to discover the underlying drivers of a successful editions market and make predictions for the future. Before the print boom of the 1960s, driven by the departure of printmakers from Europe during World War II, who reinvigorated a passion for the artistic process, printmaking was considered that of a craft. Once it was elevated from its secondary status, due to excitement from Contemporary artists and institutional accreditation, a market structure was solidified. By examining the …


History Of Fashion Installations As Art Exhibitions And Their Impact On The Public’S Perspective On Culture And Community, Arabella Riley Jan 2022

History Of Fashion Installations As Art Exhibitions And Their Impact On The Public’S Perspective On Culture And Community, Arabella Riley

MA Theses

The current study targeted the problem of the relationship among the notions of fashion, art, and culture. The study aimed to determine the potential role of fashion brands and artists in the transformation of modern culture. Additionally, the study sought to analyze the forms of collaboration between fashion and arts, and their commercial and conceptual value. As to the research methods, qualitative secondary data review using thematic analysis methodology was utilized. The research findings included the recognition of the significant role of modern fashion and arts in the transformation of the public culture. Furthermore, it was revealed that different formats …


Valuations Achieved At The Sale Of Royal Jewels From The Bourbon Parma Family, Reka Szterenyi Jan 2022

Valuations Achieved At The Sale Of Royal Jewels From The Bourbon Parma Family, Reka Szterenyi

MA Theses

The auction of the Royal Jewels from the Bourbon-Parma Family is considered iconic. It took place as an evening sale at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva, on November 14, 2018 amid great interest from collectors and the media alike. It comprised a hundred lots from the collection of the Bourbon Parma Family, several of them with royal provenance. The most important pieces were ten objects that are believed to have belonged to Marie Antoinette’s personal jewelry collection. The white-glove sale achieved a total price of $53.1 million (CHF 53.5 million). This was a new record for a royal jewelry auction, …


Why Be A Great Women Artist When You Could Be Spectacular: The Study Of Women Old Masters In The Art History Canon Through Art Market Bias, Zoë Mahler Jan 2021

Why Be A Great Women Artist When You Could Be Spectacular: The Study Of Women Old Masters In The Art History Canon Through Art Market Bias, Zoë Mahler

MA Theses

It has been 50 years since the publication of Linda Nochlin’s renowned 1971
essay, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” On the 50th anniversary, the question remains the same. Questioning the woman artist’s place in the art world has become nuanced, and the restraints women experienced, as highlighted by Nochlin, still have validity today. By exploring the last 20 years of the art market and the perception of the woman’s place in the art world, it is clear progress has been made in certain respects, especially regarding Women Old Masters. The canon of art history and the subsequent …


The Durability Of Authenticity: An Examination Of The Art Conservator’S Role In Preserving Authenticity, Emily Crozier Jan 2021

The Durability Of Authenticity: An Examination Of The Art Conservator’S Role In Preserving Authenticity, Emily Crozier

MA Theses

This thesis will focus on the conservation of privately owned paintings by deceased artists to determine the durability of authenticity. The concept of authenticity is fragile and illusive. However, there are certain theories and attributes which help to determine whether a painting is authentic. It is generally agreed that the authenticity of a painting can be maintained or lost through conservation. It is therefore presumed that the conservator is ethically driven to preserve the authenticity of a painting as its cultural value is of paramount importance in the conservation process. However, conservation is not a purely ethical issue as it …


Contemporary Textiles: Unraveling White Feminist Discourse, Meredith Friedman Jan 2021

Contemporary Textiles: Unraveling White Feminist Discourse, Meredith Friedman

MA Theses

In recent decades, attention to textile art has flourished. The growth of contemporary studies committed to revising fiber’s hierarchical categorization represents a discursive turn heavily weighted within feminist inquiry. The interrelation between textile techniques and constructs of femininity and domesticity was at the base of a robust interdisciplinary field of feminist theory developing around the 1970s in the US. Often referred to as the second wave of feminism, this era experienced scholars and artists proposing the medium’s capacity to counter the elusive genre’s marginalization and, by extension, presenting textile’s ability to subvert notions of gender difference. This analysis aims to …


Contemporary Methods Of Preserving Land Art: A Case Study Of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Samara Johnson Jan 2019

Contemporary Methods Of Preserving Land Art: A Case Study Of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Samara Johnson

MA Theses

The preservation and conservation of Land art has become an increasingly complex and urgent issue as important Earthworks created in the late 1960s and early 1970s continue to age. They present a variety of challenges—both physical and philosophical—to those tasked with maintaining them. Using Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) as a case study, I have outlined four key guidelines for maintaining and preserving works of Land art. In order to survive, the artist’s intention intact, these works require collective stewardship, an interdisciplinary approach, the promotion of responsible visitorship, and an extension of the museum model. Today, social media has presented …


Artist Frames: A Lost History Tracking The Innovations Of Discarded Visions, Isabella Leokadia Kapczynski Jan 2019

Artist Frames: A Lost History Tracking The Innovations Of Discarded Visions, Isabella Leokadia Kapczynski

MA Theses

By considering the multiple aspects of a picture frame, this thesis paper explores the relationship between the frame and the painting it surrounds. Functioning to both preserve and present a painting, the frame is often a concern of curators, dealers, restorers and institutions. Though neglected, the painters themselves had opinions about the framing of their work. This research centers on the classification of a picture frame as either fine or decorative art. First, the metaphysical and marketing ramifications of the frame will be considered, followed by a concise history of the frame that will focus on the nineteenth century Impressionist …


Teamlab Research, Chinchen Liu Jan 2019

Teamlab Research, Chinchen Liu

MA Theses

teamLab undoubtedly opened a new era of art. It allows professionals in multi-industries to use the latest science and technology to create art, they are all popular for local audiences from Japan to the United States, from Italy to China, wherever they go. As a significant representative form of the trendy show and immersive exhibition, teamLab's works are completely different from the past in terms of creative logic, exhibition experience, and collection methods. By going through the development history of teamLab, this article studies the characteristics of its exhibitions, audience, and the connection with traditional art, in order to explore …


French Wallpaper Decors: Papiers Peints In Homes Of The American South, Christine Speare Jan 2018

French Wallpaper Decors: Papiers Peints In Homes Of The American South, Christine Speare

MA Theses

French wood-block printed wallpaper is a very unique mural art form, yet often neglected. With this historical lack of attention, few academics have devoted themselves to the study of the topic, especially in the United States; and yet, wallpaper can reveal so much about past styles, settings, and collectors. Due to the historical changes in fashion, natural aging, weather, war, and neglect, a considerably limited number of collections continue to hang in situ in the American South in relation to the abundant examples found in the Northeast that have been better documented. Yet, the South’s historic affinity for all that …


The Rococo Revival In Contemporary Porcelain, Ariel Senackerib Jan 2018

The Rococo Revival In Contemporary Porcelain, Ariel Senackerib

MA Theses

The contemporary design market has seen a resurgence of the rococo style. Porcelain has become a popular medium, and artists and designers have been revisiting the possibilities of it by returning to the motifs and symbols of the mid eighteenthcentury. While there is a wealth of existing literature on porcelain manufactories, including Meissen, Sèvres and others, the rococo style is often overlooked in literature for its cultural and theoretical value. The rococo has been given little consideration by art historians, because of its excessive luxury and cultural appropriation. However, many contemporary artists and designers have found new inspiration in the …


The "Whys" Of The Grand Cameo: A Holistic Approach To Understanding The Piece, Its Origins And Its Context, Constantine Prince Sidamon-Eristoff Jan 2018

The "Whys" Of The Grand Cameo: A Holistic Approach To Understanding The Piece, Its Origins And Its Context, Constantine Prince Sidamon-Eristoff

MA Theses

The Grand Cameo for France is the largest cameo surviving from antiquity. Scholars have debated who is portrayed on the stone and what its scene means for centuries, often, although not always, limiting their interpretations to this narrow area and typically only discussing other causes in passing. This pattern can and should be broken, allowing the stone to be what all objects truly are: windows to the lives that that objects have lived, just as all physical things are; evidence of an experience part of the world went though, whose meanings have and continue to be part of a wider …


Current Issues In The Conservation Of Contemporary Art And Its Non-Traditional Materials, Sandra Hong Jan 2018

Current Issues In The Conservation Of Contemporary Art And Its Non-Traditional Materials, Sandra Hong

MA Theses

The history of art has shown that artists of the present will always find a way to push boundaries and create unprecedented work, whether through the use of foreign materials, new technical processes, or in concept. However exciting this may be, this innovation in the twenty-first century has brought with it an entire world of new challenges for today’s conservators—the specialists tasked with the seemingly impossible duty of preserving art that, by its very nature, refuses to endure. This thesis is an examination of the unique conservation challenges in contemporary art that have been introduced as a result of an …