Real Objects in Art, 1913–1960: A Relational Dataset of Artworks and Artists

This repository contains a relational dataset documenting artworks produced with real objects between 1913 and 1960. The dataset was compiled as part of a doctoral research project investigating the historical circulation of real objects as an artistic support during the emergence of modern and contemporary art. The dataset comprises 804 artworks created by 126 artists and is organized into two relational tables: one describing artworks and another describing artists. The two tables are linked through persistent artist identifiers, allowing researchers to analyze artworks and artists either independently or as a relational dataset. The temporal boundaries were defined according to the research problem. The starting date (1913) corresponds to Marcel Duchamp's first readymade, widely regarded as a landmark in the emergence of real objects as an artistic support. The closing date (1960) immediately precedes the rapid expansion of object-based artistic practices associated with movements such as Pop Art during the 1960s. The objective of this dataset is not to provide an exhaustive inventory of every artwork produced with real objects during the period. Rather, it documents artworks that left identifiable documentary traces in institutional, historiographical, and archival sources consulted during data collection.