Overstone Spotlight
Lucrezia Piovano: Art Research & Client Success
What inspired you to want to work at Overstone?
I am fascinated by understanding the ‘why’ behind the art market: why collectors make certain choices, how trends evolve and what drives the value of works over time. I enjoy exploring these questions using a combination of art historical knowledge, economic reasoning and data analysis.
What particularly inspires me about Overstone is how the company applies this analytical approach at the highest level. Overstone combines AI-powered tools with deep art market expertise using Bayesian modelling and feature engineering to predict liquidity and identify significant changes in value with remarkable accuracy.
Working alongside specialists in finance, art, insurance and data offers me the chance to continuously expand my perspective and develop a more analytical and precise understanding of the art market. In today’s context, it is increasingly important to look at art collections and the art market through a data-driven lens and recognise that behind market dynamics lie structured trends and measurable insights. Overstone provides the ideal framework to do exactly that.
How do your studies and having worked at a gallery and an auction house support your current work at Overstone?
My studies and professional experience have provided me with a multidisciplinary foundation that directly supports my current role at Overstone. I began my academic journey at the University of Bologna, where I specialised in History of Art within the DAMS programme. This background allowed me to develop an understanding of artworks, artistic languages and historical context, which are essential when analysing the art market beyond a purely numerical perspective.
Over time, I realised that a historical-artistic background needed to be complemented by an economic perspective. For this reason, I decided to move to Milan and pursue an MA in Economics & Arts Management in English at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. This programme was essential in helping me to gain a deeper understanding of market dynamics, value creation mechanisms and the motivations behind the acquisition of artworks and luxury assets.
Alongside my studies, my professional experience in a gallery, at an auction house and later within a company specialising in the management and digitalisation of collections for private collectors and galleries allowed me to observe the art market from multiple perspectives. In particular, my experience at Finarte Auctions, within the data team, strengthened my skills in analysing auction results and market trends; working closely with collectors and galleries helped me to develop a particular sensitivity to client needs and the relational dynamics of the sector.
At Overstone, I am now able to integrate and further develop these different skills (art historical, economic, and operational) thanks to the expertise and guidance of my colleagues while collaborating with the data team on market analysis and data-driven insights. This interdisciplinary approach allows me to address challenges with analytical rigour without losing sight of the cultural and human factors that shape the art market.
How do you see the role of data transforming the art market in the years ahead?
In the years ahead, I believe that data will play an increasingly central role in the art market. Like the luxury goods sector in general, the art market is influenced by constantly evolving trends, the entry of new collectors with different tastes and expectations and political and social factors at a global level. Analysing numbers, sales, value fluctuations, and market dynamics allows complex observations to be turned into concrete information, providing a more rigorous basis for evaluations, forecasts and strategies than intuition or personal taste alone.
Data not only helps to understand the present but also enables the construction of reliable scenarios and guidelines for the future, improving the ability to anticipate changes and seize opportunities in a rapidly evolving market. In this sense, the integration of advanced analytical tools and predictive models provides a more structured and precise perspective, enhancing both the economic and cultural value of artworks.
...and finally, if any artwork could hang on your wall, which one would you choose and why?
If I could hang any artwork on my wall, I would choose a drawing by Louise Bourgeois. Her works on paper, while delicate in line, convey an incredible emotional and psychological intensity. Each mark feels deliberate and powerful, capturing memory, identity, and human relationships in a way that is both intimate and universal.
Her drawings, though smaller in scale than her famous sculptures, carry the same conceptual and emotional power that has made her a defining figure in contemporary art. Having one of her pieces in a daily space would create a constant dialogue with the work, an experience that invites reflection and engagement with the complexity and depth of the human experience.