Abstract

This work consists of an interpretation of the relationship between art and economy, in the framework of the more general relationship between art and science. Starting from the historical presupposition that the dual concept of economy and art has lead to interesting results, we affirm that in theory not only is this approach possible but also legitimate. To prove our proposition, we have followed a very simple reasoning: if scientific knowledge and artistic knowledge have similar characteristics, and if economy is a science, then the numerous links between economy and art (and consequently the economists' interest in issues related to the field of art) are not surprising. Our thesis is supported both through a static approach, and through a dynamic one. However the "Economics of the Art" has only recently become an actual sector of political economy, that is since when economists have started to focus on issues raised by a precise object of search, rather than an indistinct object of interest: the themes currently tackled are not connected with those occasional or personal determinants that stimulated past - however important - researches.