ARTIS – Institute of Art History, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, will host the international conference "Historicizing Global Contemporary Art Markets: Trajectories, Infrastructures, and Regimes of Value".

The conference seeks to provide a historically grounded and critical examination of the major transformations that have reshaped contemporary art markets since the late twentieth century, with particular attention to the accelerated developments of the twenty-first century. The globalisation of artistic circuits, the emergence of new collecting and market geographies, the expansion of art fairs and biennials, the role of galleries, auction houses, museums and private collections, and the increasing entanglement of art with finance, technology and luxury industries have significantly transformed the circulation, legitimation and valuation of contemporary art.

The event will examine how artworks, artists and art-world agents enter transnational circuits of cultural and economic recognition. Key questions include the construction of artistic and market value, the relationships between reputation, visibility and investment, and the inequalities that persist within an art world increasingly described as global and diversified.
The conference also invites critical reflection on the growing visibility of artists historically marginalised within dominant art-historical and market narratives, including women artists, Black artists, Indigenous artists, queer artists, diasporic artists and artists from the Global South. To what extent does this increased presence signal structural transformation? To what extent might new forms of inclusion coexist with enduring institutional, economic and symbolic asymmetries?

The Call for Papers welcomes contributions on contemporary art markets from historical, transnational, comparative, archival, sociological, economic, digital or interdisciplinary perspectives. Proposed topics may include the globalisation and regionalisation of art markets; art fairs, biennials and transnational infrastructures; collecting, philanthropy and private museums; financialisation, speculation and investment; digital markets and NFTs; restitution and decolonisation; labour and precarity; the production of visibility; and the role of art-historical knowledge, provenance and expertise in the construction of market value.

Applicants are invited to submit a proposed title, an abstract of 200–400 words and a short academic bio of 150–200 words. The conference language is English. Proposals must be submitted in English.
Abstracts will be reviewed by the organisers and the Scientific Committee.

Key Dates:
31 July 2026 — Deadline for proposal submissions
31 August 2026 — Notification of acceptance
10 November 2026 — Conference date

Practical Information:
Event: Historicizing Global Contemporary Art Markets: Trajectories, Infrastructures, and Regimes of Value
Date: Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Venue: School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
Proposal submission deadline: 31 July 2026
Conference and submission language: English
Website: https://globalartmarkets.wixsite.com/2026
Organisers’ contacts: luis.afonsoedu.ulisboa.pt | cristielen.marquesedu.ulisboa.pt
Institutional contact: artisletras.ulisboa.pt
Paper submission form: https://forms.gle/j5bJWMzg9tc2LmFk8

Organisers:
Luís U. Afonso — University of Lisbon
Cristielen R. Marques — University of Lisbon / University of São Paulo
Scientific Committee
Adriana Turpin — IESA Arts & Culture, Paris
Allan Madden — University of Glasgow
Filip Vermeylen — Erasmus University Rotterdam

This work is funded by Portuguese national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under project UID/04189/2025 [ARTIS – IHA/FLUL] | DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/04189/2025.