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eBay’s most-searched artists by state (image courtesy eBay) (click to enlarge)

What significance does Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi have to people in the state of Michigan? Why do the netizens of Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Wisconsin love Faith Ringgold? Who is Terry Redlin? (And why don’t I know?) These are just some of the questions provoked by this infographic from eBay, which charts the most-searched artists on the auction website by state. In order to make the map, “we used the top 50 most searched artists on eBay, compared with industry trends and search engine data to determine which artists were the most searched in each state,” the company says.

Why eBay would want to track the most-searched, versus, say, the most-purchased, artists in each state is another question — as well as what insight one stand stands to gain from this knowledge. Andy Warhol is Pennsylvania’s Pop-art son, yes; Ansel Adams predictably has a big following out West, where he shot his most famous photographs; and Shepard Fairey attended the Rhode Island School of Design. But why is Missouri so curious about the art of American gothic horror novelist VC Andrews? Is Thomas Kinkade not as popular as previously believed, or do people just not buy his work on eBay? How to comprehend a category that spans an American “grande dame” of Impressionism, a fantasy illustrator, a “Master of 3D PopArt,” and a “Thinking Man’s Poster Artist“? Ponder this as you ponder your next bid.

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Jillian Steinhauer

Jillian Steinhauer is a former senior editor of Hyperallergic. She writes largely about the intersection of art...

26 replies on “The Most-Searched Artists in the US, According to eBay”

      2. I agree with “guest”.
        Inclusion on the list seems related to the number of items for sale- being researched to buy. Most likely a lot of people are looking to buy or sell her books.
        Notice how the list tilts towards commercial artists and print makers who produced huge amounts of work.

  2. Some may have to do with local collections on view. In Portland the Maine Museum of Art has some really beautiful portraits by Mary Cassatt prominently displayed. Maybe people are going home and looking up what they’ve seen? Interesting.

  3. Artemisia Gentileschi has a painting at the Detroit Institute of Art, which might explain the Michigan thing.

      1. It’s probably because people consistently misspell it. George and I share the same surname, and people always want to add a “z” to the end of it. What’s strange is that it’s a fairly common surname in South Louisiana, and George Rodrigue’s art is the most iconic and ubiquitous art in Louisiana. He has his own galleries in New Orleans and Lafayette, LA and two restaurants in Lafayette built around his brand (The Blue Dog Cafe and Jolie’s Bistro). Unfortunately, his artwork is not that great. If you wanted to see some Louisiana art with more depth, I’d suggest Francis Pavy’s work. http://pavy.com/galleries/

  6. Fran Frazetta the lesser known finger painting sister of Frank Frazetta. Glad to see she’s getting the popularity she deserves.

    1. she’s actually the love child of Frazetta and Fran Drescher – let’s all just take a moment to conjure that image … 😉

  9. Almost all of these artists produced prints, posters or works in mass quantity and would have huge amounts of works for possible resale.

  11. Any list that includes Thomas Kinkade is suspicious. I can only assume that the data was hacked by sinister North Korean agents.

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