The Business of Art

When looking at a piece of art, many people look at it as a moving piece of work that is full of meaning and beauty. What many don't realize is that there is another reason that artists do their work besides to make art- and that is to make money, and to find fame. Money can be viewed as an impurity of art. On the website http://arts-careers.com there are many different ideas and articles about how to be a successful artist in terms of money making. They talk about teaching art, and how to make money through art shows. One artist we discussed in class seemed very monetary driven. Jeff Koons is a very successful artist who uses art as commodities and represents culture through that. He produces his work in a factory with many workers and machines. In the video we watched in class, one of the people working in the factory says that he hasn't really seen Jeff do any hands on activity in a while. Koons describes that the process of art is a metaphysical one- meanwhile he just makes sure that his factory is running properly. He seems to hold himself at a very high level and his success as an artist has made his ego bigger. He puts himself on a pedestal, literally and metaphorically, as he made a sculpture of himself.