Reconfiguring the borders of the art market: the case of Beatrice Monti della Corte and South-East Asian arts (1955-1980)

This study investigates the phenomenon since World War II of reconfiguring the borders of the Western art system by analyzing the contribution of women art dealers, who were active more on the margins of the art market, and therefore more interested in promoting experimental and peripheral art contexts. The research examines the exemplary case of Beatrice Monti della Corte of the Milanese Galleria dell’Ariete (1955-1980), among the promoters of a new taste for non-Western cultures, after the fascist autarkical closure, in the four decades, preceding postcolonial exhibition reflection, marked by U.S. centrality – a bridge to the East Asian market –, and the entry of Latin American arts. Using a cross-analysis of archival sources and photos of Beatrice Monti's travels, with a comparative approach between border studies, gender studies and art market studies, the survey delves into the new geographies of the art market in which travel becomes an important tool of women's emancipation through which to build personal and professional networks outside the traditional Eurocentric art system.