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Thesis (working title): Hans M. Calmann : Building an International Market for Old Master Drawings in the Twentieth Century

Supervised by Tom Stammers

My research examines the twentieth-century Old Master drawings market through the career of Hans M. Calmann (1899-1982), a Hamburg-born Jewish refugee dealer who established himself as a leading figure in the increasingly international post-war drawings market. This study uses Calmann as a lens to illuminate wider market dynamics, public institutions and private individuals collecting tastes, dealer and scholars networks, as well as connoisseurial and authentication practices.

The project’s scope encompasses Calmann’s entire art dealer career (1937-1982), examining how a refugee dealer with limited capital, no formal art historical training and minimal initial contacts amongst collectors, became a central actor of a flourishing market. Through Calmann’s business strategies and his extensive collection of drawings, I trace the formation of major public collections, mapping much wider trends in the market, understanding shifting aesthetic preferences and the professionalisation of drawings scholarship during the period. My methodology combines ethnographic and biographical frameworks, with wide use of archival material. It also exploits networks analysis as a preferred method of investigation of the market’s dynamics and of Calmann’s trajectory within it. Crucially, I am creating a comprehensive database of the approximately 2,000 drawings which have passed through Calmann’s hands. This database will enable statistical analysis of market trends and ultimately benefit provenance research.

This project is generously supported by the .