Contemporary Art Stars:
Lessons from the Rankings

In Les Stars de l’art contemporain. Notoriété et consécration artistiques dans les arts visuels, published by Éditions CNRS in Paris in 2013, Alain Quemin examines the ranking “charts” that attempt to determine the most important, or most prominent, artists and the most powerful figures in the art scene. By comparing the various rankings, he analyzes how the charts are constructed, the extent to which their results overlap, and the relationship between institutional and economic success in the marketplace. He then examines the factors at play in achieving fame or canonization. For esse, Alain Quemin responds to questions about his work from Ana Leticia Fialho and outlines the genesis of his research, its aims, and its principal findings.

Ana Leticia Fialho: Could you explain how you came to analyze visual arts ranking charts in your latest book, Les Stars de l’art?

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