Which countries had the most artists moving into the top 5000 in 2022? (by Artfacts)

Each year the fluctuating ranking of an artist on Artfacts is reflective of the type of year they have had exhibiting: the cities, institutions, type of exhibitions, and who they exhibit with all contributing to the final result. But what about the countries these artists hail from? Whilst we don’t rank countries, looking at where the artists come from can be helpful in spotting trends and further understanding how the art world functions.

We chose to look at countries that had artists move into the top 5000, as it is more reflective of current movements than those who are in the top 100 or top 1000.

Whilst the top 10 countries are not particularly surprising when we consider their renowned art institutions, galleries, and the top art fairs or biennales that they host, it’s still important to follow which countries are producing artists that are consistently climbing the artistic ladder.

The top 10 countries in 2022 were: 1. United States with 55 artists 2. Germany with 47 artists 3. United Kingdom with 23 artists 4. France with 22 artists 5. Italy with 14 artists 6. Brazil with 10 artists 7. South Korea with 9 artists 8. Austria with 8 artists 9. Spain with 8 artists 10. Canada with 7 artists

Comparing results from 2015 - 2022, United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Austria were the countries that consistently made it to the top 10. Italy, Spain and and Brazil all missed out on joining the top 5 by one year. Both South Korea and Canada made it into the top 10 for the first time this year. Other countries that made it into the top 10 just once, were: Mexico, Russia, Australia and Portugal.

We chose to look a little closer at the 55 artists that took the United States into No. 1. The artists were a broad mix of painters, sculptors, installation artists, composers, choreographers, photographers, filmmakers, textile artists, and ceramacists.

Genesis Belanger, Reception, 2019, Wood, wool felt, stoneware, porcelain.

Three of the many impressive artists that caught our eye were; the contemporary installation and performance artist EJ Hill, the contemporary choreographer Trajal Harrell and the welder and ceramacist installation artist Genesis Belanger.

The demographics were made up of approximately 50% women and 50% men, with approximately 50% Black, Latino, Asian or Native American artists with an average age of 47, and 50% white with an average age of 68.

The age is key in trend spotting, as the younger group are still earlier in their career, their rankings are therefore predicted to keep climbing at a faster rate than that of the elder group, eventually surpassing them.

The fact that the younger group is ethnically diverse yet again highlights a growing interest in the voices of diverse artists. Each time the data shows us this, we’re ever more excited.

Written by Artfacts.