Abstract
This study investigates the recent valorization of design in the market and in cultural institutions. In accordance with researchers in the sociology of art that has emphasized the interdependence of these spaces in the construction of value, I examine the processes of transition to art, with a focus on Brazilian furniture. The aim of the article is to repertorize the agents and current operations that transform simple utilitarian objects into “author's” or “collector's” design. These classifications, more than simple discursive renaming, designate furniture that is shaped by processes of construction of artistic status, in other words, which is valued for the authorship and uniqueness of the work. In international circulation, the “place of origin” and the “past” are valuable attributes for-the selection of a good and the construction of authenticity. The research shows a circuit of valorization operated by specialists, including historians, gallerists, auction houses, curators, conservators, publishers and collectors. With resources accumulated in different spaces, they are in a position to displace these pieces, highlight their rarity, confirm their provenance, validate their signature, define narratives and assign them a price. The renewal of appreciation criteria depends on these fine and interdependent chains that allow a production to be “discovered” and considered worthy of being exhibited, conserved and collected.
Keywords:
Brazilian design; international circulation; art market; museums; collecting. collectionism
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