Art world
The art world comprises everyone involved in producing, commissioning, presenting, preserving, promoting, chronicling, criticizing, buying and selling fine art. It is recognized that there are many art worlds, defined either by location or alternative definitions of fine art. Some may use the singular art world to refer only to the elite level of globalized fine art. The art world(s) are continually changing in response both to the creativity of those that create art and in response to social change.
History
Rather than being a term coined in the 20th century, art world can be found in publications from the 19th century.[1] The emergence of many of the elements, such as galleries, critics, and museums; as well as the term fine arts (Beaux Arts) date from the 18th century.[2]
Sociological definition
An art world, as with any segment of society, is defined in terms of mutually understood conventions (social norms, roles, and institutions) that are the basis for cooperative activity between members of a group who may not interact directly.[3]: 46
Howard S. Becker describes an art world as "the network of people whose cooperative activity, organized via their joint knowledge of conventional means of doing things, produces the kind of art works that art world is noted for." Becker admits this definition is tautological, but is useful in understanding how works of art are produced and consumed.[3]: xxiv
Sarah Thornton, also a sociologist, describes the art world as "a loose network of overlapping subcultures held together by a belief in art". They span the globe but cluster in art capitals such as New York City, London, Los Angeles, and Berlin.[4]
Roles in the art world
Production
There are a number of roles for those actively involved in the creation of new works of fine art, but the exemplar remains the lone artist or a close collaboration. Historically, art was produced by the members of a workshop, often a master and a number of
Artwork by women was largely excluded from the highest levels of the art world until the feminist movement of the 1970s.[5]
The primary socialization of individuals into the role of artists is by attendance at art school.[6]: 46 The value of contemporary art depends upon the reputation of the artist, which most often begins with earning an MFA from a select number of art school programs.[4]: 45–46 Some self-taught or outsider artists may gain recognition by being discovered by a dealer, while others are denied inclusion.[7]
Distribution
The production of art depends upon its distribution to others in order to provide the economic support of that production. In the past, this was done through patronage or commissions from collectors. Artists may also do this themselves either by direct sales or through cooperative efforts. Contemporary art is most often distributed though intermediaries.[3]: 93–107
An art dealer is the intermediary between artists, private collectors and institutional buyers. While some dealers may be consultant advising individual clients, dealers usually own or operate art galleries. Hosting public exhibitions and opening celebrations became part of the social function of the art world in addition to their marketing functions.
The international art fair, occurring typically every two years, has become a major force in the marketing of contemporary fine art. Commercial art fairs are essentially temporary galleries that benefit from the attraction of public interest and competition between collectors.
The tradition of auctioning works of art grew from the difficulty of determining the price of rare and unique objects. While estimates of market value are made for other purposes, such as taxation, charitable donations, and estates; in recent years prices paid at auctions have exceeded such estimates.
Evaluation
Art critics
In 1964 critic and
Becker however notes that new theories of art may arise in order to account for the acceptance by the art world of works not fitting into older theories. An example is the failure of imitation theories, in which art was judged solely by it faithful representation of nature, to account for works which used form and color to express emotions, giving rise to formalism.[3]: 145–146
Danto had considerable influence on aesthetic philosophy and especially upon George Dickie's institutional theory of art. Dickie defines an art work as an artifact "which has had conferred upon it the status of candidate for appreciation by some person or persons acting in behalf of a certain social institution (the artworld)."[13]
Change
The notion of the singular art world is problematic, since Becker and others show art worlds are, instead, independent multiplicities scattered worldwide that are always in flux: there is no "center" to the art world any more.[3]
The art world, along with the definition of fine art, is constantly changing as works of art previously excluded move into the "avant garde" and then into mainstream culture.[14]
References
- ^ "The Art World". The Art Collector. 9 (8): 113–15. 1899.
- JSTOR 2707484.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-25636-1.
- ^ a b c Thornton, Sarah (2008). Seven Days in the Art World. W. W. Norton & Company.
- JSTOR j.ctt5vj994.
- JSTOR 10.5406/j.ctt17572qz.
- ISBN 9781626740990.
- ^ Morgner, Christian (2014). "The Evolution of the Art Fair". Historical Social Research. 39 (3): 318–36.
- ^ Bodick, Noelle (17 June 2014). "A Brief History of Art Basel, the World's Premier Contemporary Fair". Artspace.
- JSTOR 2022937.
- ^ Wolfe, Tom (1975). The Painted Word. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- ISBN 9780520230026.
- ISBN 9780873957649.
- ISBN 9780226117904.
External links
- Quotations related to Art world at Wikiquote