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The most expensive postage stamp was sold for more than 2 millions, and initially was worth a few cents. Antique items are also usually ridiculously expensive
by ivanhoe 9y ago
The most expensive postage stamp was sold for more than 2 millions, and initially was worth a few cents. Antique items are also usually ridiculously expensive compared to the initial value. Even old legos are being sold for thousands of dollars. That's what collectors due, overpay for rare or otherwise "special" items, and of course, when there's money in the market there will be people turning it into a business. Art is just one (very lucrative) piece of that cake.
- emodendroket 9y agoYes, perhaps, but the difference with art is that artists are encouraged to pump out works to cater to the whims of these rich collectors in a way antiques dealers cannot.
- purple-again 9y agoHave you ever felt encouraged to pump out code to cater to the whims of rich overlords? I can't tell you how many $50,000 (our fee) tax returns I filed with...questionable sections because I was being encouraged to pump out work to cater to the whim of partners that didn't even come into the office anymore. Nothing unique to art here.
- emodendroket 9y agoPeople still read The Odyssey but I'll be lucky if anyone cares about any code I ever worked on in fifty years.
- ivanhoe 9y agoCertain types of artists, yes, but it's still their own choice whether to sell out or not. It's the same thing as with the majority of modern music, literature, etc. Just look at how the music industry works...
- emodendroket 9y agoOK, sure, but an art critic is presumably more interested in the effects on the "ecosystem" of art. Besides, I don't think it's that unusual to find someone decrying, say, the importance of the blockbuster leading to a glut of superhero films at the expense of films that might be of more interest to some viewers.
- shanghaiaway 9y agoArtists do not directly create work to satisfy collectors. They make work that over time creates a persona for them that is differentiated and carries meaning within the context of the art world. Once that persona is created, work can be sold. In general, the work needs to maintain consistency with that persona. If the artist wants to change their work, they must first adjust their persona to justify the change.