Art and Capitalism

A central tenet of capitalism is the production of commodities to create profit (money); as such, the logical starting place for this collection is the relationship of art to these foundational elements of capitalism. However, as the contributions to the volume reveal, capitalism encompasses more than just an economic system in which art is bought and sold alongside other goods.

This volume approaches the subject of art and capitalism thematically through five distinct parts: Art Markets, Money and Myths; Work, Labour and the Artist; Capitalist Technologies; Spaces of Art and Capital: Institutions and Beyond; and Crisis, Contestation and Critique. This thematic approach avoids presenting a definitive linear historical narrative of art and capitalism, allowing for an expanded and diverse approach to scholarship that addresses the relationship between the two since the advent of modernity. The volume presents multiple perspectives on capitalism in conversation with one another, including race, gender, class and global/geographical inequality.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, fine art, museum studies, curatorial studies, politics and visual culture.