Connoisseurship from below exploring “informal” expertise in art on social media

Abstract

In contexts characterized by credence goods and quality uncertainty, experts play a crucial role in assessing the quality of objects offered for sale. In the visual arts sector, academic research has traditionally focused on the careers of eminent experts, often overlooking less institutionalized forms of expertise—despite their acknowledged importance (e.g., the 2005 Faro Convention). The advent of social media platforms has given rise to public groups where communities eager to share their knowledge online gather to discuss low-value art and cultural goods posted by other members. This paper explores the practice of community-based, “informal” connoisseurship within the context of third-party platforms. Using the Facebook group L’attributionniste as a case study and employing a mixed-methods approach—including social media thematic analysis, OLS, and logistic regression—we investigate; (i) information supply (what is the nature and purpose of the group members’ discussions?), (ii) engagement (what variables foster engagement with a given work of art?), and (iii) consensus formation (what factors influence the likelihood of reaching consensus among participants?). Our findings highlight the similarities between informal expertise and more institutionalized forms of knowledge in art, the bottom-up participatory approach to lower-end art objects, and the role of social media groups as platforms for sharing knowledge about under-documented works. This paper contributes to the academic literature on art expertise and encourages researchers to reflect on the expanded definition, significance, and role of ordinary connoisseurs and amateurs as contemporary gatekeepers of the art world.