Painting for the Market : Commercialisation of Art in Antwerp´s G

This study examines the process of commercialization of art which took place in Antwerp during the long sixteenth century, an era of rapid expansion of both the city’s economy and its art market. Indeed, Antwerp carved altarpieces, paintings, tapestries, books and other luxury items were exported to an area stretching from the Baltic region to the Mediterranean Basin during this time period. The key development that explains the success of Antwerp as an export center for the arts, the author argues, lies not only in the strength of the Antwerp economy and the artistic tradition of the Southern Netherlands, but specifically in the shift from ordering artwork on commission to the production for the open market. In other words, Antwerp artists were much more inclined to produce art on spec and, consequently, art was commercialized at an early stage and became the subject of intense trading.