Knowledge And Methods

The benefit of art is the focus of the art market research. When talking about benefit, it generally refers to the return on art investment. However, benefit as an economic term is a broad concept. Gains from art include the revenue from the monetary appreciation and the total yield of individual and community. Determining the benefit's property is on the premise of understanding the economic nature of art and it eventually leads to divergent viewpoints on benefits of art.This thesis investigates the main methods and means used in the researches of art market and discusses the rationality of these methods. The advantages, defects and application of these methods are introduced and discussed. Through the changes of these methods in the past fifty years we can figure out the transformation of research perspectives.By investigating the change of attitude and knowledge about art, we can find the ever deepening understanding of art market in the past fifty years. The study in research method will not only encourage better understanding on art's nature, but also provide a new perspective.