To those who asked for a recap of the sources suggested for locating data sets for art sales, here is a quick summary:
Mei Moses Index - previously this was a good source for this type of data but the index appears to no longer be available.
Getty Provenance Index – currently allows for downloading data in a CSV format, and is working on a Linked Open Data project.
Artnet Analytics – in addition to the standard subscription for Artnet, there is a subscription option for Artnet Analytics to give researchers access to data, as well as more affordable
options for one-time reports to get customized data sets to researchers. This is the option that worked best for our student as his interest was in contemporary art.
I hope this is helpful to others. Thanks to all who replied and shared your wisdom!
Best,
Jessica
Jessica Evans Brady
Research & Collections Librarian
Fine Arts Library
Harvard University
1805 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.496.1503