High Art Down Home: An Economic Ethnography of a Local Art Market
Why is one painting worth many tens of thousands of dollars while another only a few hundred? What forces create the contemporary art market? And does such a market even exist outside the most rarefied circles of the New York art world? These are some of the questions answered in this fascinating study. Plattner, an economic anthropologist currently with the National Science Foundation, made a thorough study of the St. Louis, Missouri, art market, interviewing artists, art dealers, collections and museum curators. Presenting his findings in the style of an economic ethnography, Plattner analyzes the social and economic factors that govern art markets outside the long shadow cast by chic New York galleries. An insightful and fascinating work that is highly recommended for both academic and public collections with an interest in art world as well as art itself.?Martin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, D.C.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.