368 Pages
by
Routledge
Most artists earn very little. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of aspiring young artists. Do they give to the arts willingly or unknowingly? Governments and other institutions also give to the arts, to raise the low incomes. But their support is ineffective: subsidies only increase the artists' poverty. The economy of the arts is exceptional. Although the arts operate successfully in the... Read more
Preface, 1 Sacred Art: Who Has the Power to Define Art? 2 The Denial of the Economy: Why Are Gifts to the Arts Praised, While Market Incomes Remain Suspect? 3 Economic Value Versus Aesthetic Value: Is There Any Financial Reward for Quality? 4 The Selflessly Devoted Artist: Are Artists Reward-Oriented? 5 Money for the Artist: Are Artists Just Ill-Informed Gamblers? 6 Structural Poverty: Do Subsidies and Donations Increase Poverty? 7 The Cost Disease: Do Rising Costs in the Arts Make Subsidization 8 The Power and the Duty to Give: Why Give to the Arts? 9 The Government Serves Art: Do Art Subsidies Serve the Public Interest, 10 Art Serves the Government: How Symbiotic Is the Relationship between Art, 11 Informal Barriers Structure the Arts: How Free or Monopolized Are the Arts? 12 Conclusion: a Cruel Economy: Why Is the Exceptional Economy of the Arts Epilogue: the Future Economy of the Arts, Notes,312 Literature, Index of Names.
Biography
Hans Abbing is a visual artist and economist. He is professor emeritus in art sociology at the University of Amsterdam.
