LSU Art History Professor Darius Spieth Edits New Grove Guide to the Art Market
Professor Darius Spieth. Image Credit: Jean-Claude Figenwald
LSU Professor of Art History Darius Spieth edited the newly published Grove Art Guide to the Art Market, a comprehensive exploration of the institutions, practices and economic forces that shape the global art world.
Published by Oxford University Press in 2026, the volume brings together 69 essays examining the art market from its historical foundations through developments in the 21st century. Designed as both a scholarly reference and an accessible introduction to the field, the guide addresses subjects including collecting, connoisseurship, appraisal and valuation, auctions, art law, cultural heritage and the economics of art.
The publication represents the culmination of Spieth’s longstanding work as subject editor for Art Markets, Law and Economics for the Grove Dictionary of Art, one of the field’s most authoritative reference resources.
By approaching art not only as a form of cultural expression but also as an object that is collected, exchanged, regulated and assigned value, the guide provides readers with a multidisciplinary framework for understanding the art market. Its essays connect art history with economics, law, museum studies and cultural policy, offering insight into the complex systems through which works of art circulate.
The volume also traces the development of art markets across periods and regions, examining the roles played by artists, collectors, dealers, auction houses, museums and other institutions. Alongside its historical scope, the book considers forces reshaping the contemporary art world, including globalization, evolving legal and ethical questions and new approaches to determining artistic and financial value.
Spieth is the San Diego Alumni Association Chapter Alumni Professor in the LSU School of Art. A specialist in modernism, Darius A. Spieth focuses his scholarship on the interrelationships between art, intellectual history, and economics. His research focuses on the history of art markets, particularly the relationship between art, economics and society in 18th- and 19th-century Europe.
His previous publications include Revolutionary Paris and the Market for Netherlandish Art, published by Brill in 2017. Spieth has also written and contributed to numerous exhibition catalogues and scholarly publications on topics ranging from European prints and historical art dealing to art-market valuation.
Through The Grove Art Guide to the Art Market, Spieth extends that expertise to a resource intended for students, scholars and professionals as well as readers seeking a deeper understanding of how the art world operates.
“Professor Spieth’s publication reflects the LSU College of Art & Design’s commitment to scholarship that crosses disciplinary boundaries and connects the study of art with broader cultural, historical and economic questions,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design. “It also offers an invaluable resource to students, connoisseurs, collectors and aficionados, at LSU and across the globe, for exploring the many systems that shape how art is created, disseminated, interpreted, valued, and preserved.”
The Grove Guide to the Art Market has already resonated internationally, as the most recent issue of La Grande Galerie, the official periodical of the Louvre Museum’s Friends Group (les Amis du Louvre), ran an interview by Sébastien Fumaroli with Professor Spieth, discussing the civilizational importance of art markets.
The Grove Art Guide to the Art Market is available through Oxford University Press and booksellers worldwide.
Read more about Spieth’s recent scholarship.