Making Old Objects Valuable Again. The Cultural, Economic Challenges and Sustainability Opportunities of Antiques in the 21st Century

What do old porcelain, wooden furniture, and silverware have in common? All of these antiques fall into the category of informal heritage.

Regardless of their cultural significance, many of these objects remain on the margins, both in cultural institutions and scholarly research.

As a result, the question of how antiques are safeguarded, valued, traded, perceived, and consumed remains largely underexplored.

By studying the contemporary economy of antiques, MOOVAs prime objective is to highlight the potential of these objects regarding the safeguarding and promotion of informal heritage, sustainable consumption, new business models for ageing sectors, and local city development.

More specifically, MOOVA aims to: 1) demonstrate the patrimonial role of antique dealers as vital safe-guarders of informal heritage; 2-3) explore the market structures at play within the antiques trade, its economic impact, and the supply and demand for antiques in a digital economic context; 4) understand how antiques are perceived by younger generations (Gen Z); and 5) develop a theoretical and practical model for renewing the meaning and value of these complex objects.

Through selected case studies (European decorative arts) and a multi-transversal approach (cross-markets, objects, countries), the project will combine theories, data, and methods from art history, cultural economics, cognitive science, and arts marketing to investigate this topic holistically.

The first stage will consist in data collection and processing, using new databases of evidence drawn from primary and secondary sources (incl. interviews and sales results), while the second will be dedicated to the development of the reevaluation model.

MOOVA's overreaching goal is to progress towards more advanced scholarship in art market studies by providing tools that better fit the idiosyncrasies of markets for complex cultural goods, and to address issues related to art education, audience renewal, and job opportunities.