I found this documentary about the current state of the hyper-capitalized art world fairly worthwhile. Sure, i knew a lot of what was said but there were some eye-opening parts, such as the surprising number of people who appear to think that fine art should be regulated by the government. That just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Of course, the only reason why they are saying this is because the magnitude of money at stake invites shysters and con artists of all stripes and turns successful artists themselves into con artists of sorts. The argument is supposed to be that this pluto-oligarchic structure crushes the little guy, the artist without a gallery and with no hope of gaining any recognition.

That strikes me as a non sequitur. First of all, anyone currently famous began as someone completely unknown, so they had to be discovered within the system as well. In reality, genuine artists cannot be destroyed by even the daunting dynamics of the contemporary business of art. They will continue to paint in their ateliers (or no-bedroom shacks) and create what they feel compelled to create. Some of them will be discovered posthumously, and others not even then, but the value of what they produce is in no way compromised by the fact that they die in a state of poverty and relative anonymity. Art has always been like that. Remember Vincent van Gogh?

The last thing the world needs is some sort of ueber government committee deciding what can and cannot be done with fine art. Is it fair that Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons are filthy rich, while perhaps better artists, who are less savvy self-promoters and marketers, are ignored? Is it fair that some people enjoy ridiculously high salaries for throwing a ball through a hoop while others earn a pittance for flipping burgers at fast-food restaurants? This is the world in which we live. The lucky ones (are they not the true artists?) find a way to avoid thorough cooption by the system--by all means necessary. Others simply sell their souls. But it is not the government´s role to care for people´s souls.

Sarah Thornton wrote a book called Seven Days in the Art World, and this film pretty much follows the trajectory of that book. The film looks at the various players in the art world whom we don't normally think of as entities that are interrelated -- but of course they are: museums, galleries, collectors, auction houses, artists themselves. I've read Thornton's book -- she also appears in this film -- and I enjoyed both it and this film. Yes, certainly, there are things you may know (eg., much modern art is all about its value as capital), but the points made about such capital, pro and con, are played out on the screen without heavy disapprobation; the film merely points out things as they are and get you to think on them.

1/9/18. A decent inside look into the moneyed world of Art. It's ironic that the artists who create the works usually spend years in poverty, and some even a lifetime, but others manage to make lots of money off them. Yes, a whole industry devoted on monetizing creativity.