View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Erasmus University Digital Repository To cite: Arora, P. & Vermeylen, F. (2012). The end of the art connoisseur? Experts and knowledge production in the visual arts in the digital age, Information Communication and Society, DOI:10.1080/1369118X.2012.687392 Title The end of the art connoisseur? Experts and knowledge production in the visual arts in the digital age Authors Payal Arora Department of Media and Communication Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands Email:
[email protected] Website: http://www.payalarora.com/ & Filip Vermeylen Department of History, Arts and Cultural Studies Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands E-mail:
[email protected] Website: http://www.eshcc.eur.nl/personal/vermeylen Abstract In this digital age, declarations surface on the death of the expert and the democratization of information. Crowd wisdom is seen as the new guide in constructing and evaluating knowledge. In the context of the art world, this tension between the amateurs and the experts becomes particularly pronounced as popular meets high culture. Questions arise such as what is the role of the expert in the evaluation of art in current times? Do social media dismantle age- old hierarchies and established priesthoods in the art world? And can we assume that mass participation in valuation result in better judgments? This paper addresses such popular notions on participation and expertise concerning social media in the art world through a historical lens by re-examining and positioning art experts from past to present. Particularly, characteristics of intermediaries in the art market are looked at closely and their strategies in knowledge production and establishment of expertise.