This study is the first to investigate the use of Aboriginal art for marketing purposes. Over 2000 major enterprises in Europe and North America collect art, but in Australia relatively few do. Research has established that art collections contribute to corporate identity, but this has not been studied in Australia. Using a qualitative case study approach, this exploratory study investigates how art collections are used to support the work of three Australian banking and law firms whose collections include Aboriginal art. We asked respondents from each firm how and why they collected Aboriginal art and their perception of the role of art in symbolizing their firm’s values and culture. Aboriginal art was found to contribute to a firm’s identity and corporate social responsibility, especially when collections included the work of emerging artists and more challenging political content. It also presented a friendly face to Aboriginal clients. For firms in overseas markets, Aboriginal art served to signal a firm’s Australianness.

这项研究是首次调查将原住民艺术品用于营销目的的情况。欧洲和北美有2000多家大型企业在收藏艺术品，但在澳大利亚却很少。研究表明，艺术品收藏有助于企业形象，但澳大利亚尚未对此进行研究。该探索性研究采用定性案例研究方法，研究了艺术品收藏如何用于支持三家澳大利亚银行和律师事务所的工作，其中三家银行和律师事务所的作品包括土著艺术品。我们询问了每家公司的受访者，他们如何以及为什么收集土著艺术，以及他们对艺术在象征其公司价值和文化中的作用的看法。人们发现土著艺术有助于公司的形象和公司的社会责任，特别是当收藏中包含新兴艺术家的作品和更具挑战性的政治内容时。它还向原住民客户展示了友好的面孔。对于海外市场的公司而言，原住民艺术品标志着公司的澳大利亚风情。