The auction world sounds like it's thriving. But thriving for artists?
Every season we're told another auction generated $50 million, $100 million, $300 million. But for whom?
The auction world sounds like it's thriving. But thriving for artists?
Most of that money isn't creating new art. It's old money buying old art from other people. Wealth circulating inside a closed loop.
The headlines celebrate records. The artists trying to pay next month's rent are invisible.
Auction houses don't create culture. Artists do. Without living artists taking risks in studios, there would be nothing to speculate on fifty years from now.
Imagine if even a tiny percentage of those billions found its way back into the hands of working painters, sculptors, photographers, and filmmakers.
Imagine an art system that invested in creation instead of congratulating itself for trading money back and forth.
The real value of art isn't the auction value. It's the sacrifices artists make to bring art to life.
Text by Whitehot Magazine publisher and artist @newyorkbecker
