Privatising Culture: Corporate Art Intervention Since the 1980s - Media - Book Review

Chin-Tao Wu

London: Verso, 2002

Popular television shows like "At the Auction" and "Antique Roadshow" highlight connections between art objects and monetary value. Nevertheless, the age-old assumption that art is separate from or somehow above commerce may continue to subsist. Anyone harboring such belief should read Privatising Culture, which makes it "absolut"-ly clear that ivory towers exist only in fairytales. This remarkable book charts the impact of conservative politics on the relationship between art and business that flourished in the 1980s, with the policies initiated by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Arts Council of Great Britain provide a context for assessing the dramatic changes brought by Reagan's and Thatcher's political moves that encouraged private support of the arts, such as major tax incentives created in concert with drastically reduced federal aid. Chin-Tao Wu examines the ways in which private support of public institutions has become increasingly intertwined and comp lex during the last two decades, including an evaluation of potential conflicts of interest between museum boards and the art market. The make-up of boards changed dramatically during the 1980s, from blue beards and royalty to corporate executives. This brought an infusion of new money along with a different philosophy to the arts. Businesses gained prestige and status as well as access to "new" vehicles for public relations, made even more valuable by museums' reputation and propriety. For the first time, businesses played a prominent role in shaping culture through highly respected public institutions. Privatising Culture also outlines three primary ways that business has ingrained itself in the art world, devoting a chapter to each phenomenon: the display of contemporary art on corporate premises, the organization and funding of awards, and the accumulation of contemporary art collections, complete with curators and exhibition schedules. ""

Wu writes thoughtfully on the formidable topic of analyzing the process of privatization in the U.S. and U.K., that is to say the governmental push for free enterprise, and its results on contemporary culture, particularly the arts. In addition to being conversant on theories from sociology, economics and cultural studies, American and British politics, and contemporary art, Wu conducted large-scale surveys on corporate art collections and sponsorship. The author's primary research and diverse knowledge are impressive. Her discussions are reasonable and evenhanded despite a few glimpses of frustration that she must have experienced so often while conducting her research. Although the author's tone is consistently critical of the current situation, without recognizing any positive aspects of the aid from the private sector in the face of diminishing governmental support, she raises grave ethical concerns, particularly regarding franchising of museums that she compares to colonization, and political ideological shifts, namely the liberals' continuation of free enterprise practices. She asks unsettling questions about financial survival, identity, ownership and future politics. Wu's well-researched book is a pleasure to read and a major contribution to the field of visual culture.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Visual Studies Workshop
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group