ABSTRACT
Beginning with a look at the bizarre phenomenon of child art prodigies, this chapter examines the world of gallery superstars, auction houses, and those who profit from them. Most people have never heard of kids like Autumn de Forest and Aelita Andre, who raked in fortunes while still in grade school. Much of this is due to the stratospheric prices fetched even by youngsters in today’s $66-billion-a-year art market—even as the vast majority of working artists struggle with unemployment and low wages. Such inequities track with patterns of social stratification linked to gender and race also seen in the entertainment industry. Responding to this demographic disconnect, audiences are walking away from conventional high and low culture. Recent polls and surveys now reveal a continuing drop in museum and movie attendance. Writers discussed range from Matthew Arnold, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Schiller to Douglas Crimp, Germane Greer, and Andreas Huyssen.
