High-profile contemporary artists like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami long ago embraced Andy Warhol’s infamous provocation that "good business is the best art.
A major new exhibition at the Tate Modern in London called "Pop Life: Art in a material world" is trying to demonstrate a commercial approach to art is not necessarily a criticism of the world as cynical and the general public, often say that is.
The artists, the exhibition argues, are simply taking control of their images and images, rejecting the old system of patronage and tunnels and trenches, not the average man in pursuit of maximum profit, and with her fame.
"One question that often in this show is that it’s only money," said co-curator Catherine Wood.
"The art market, and the amount of money that is very boring. But the money is in this show in the form of artists taking control of it," he told Reuters.
The exhibition opens with several rooms devoted to Warhol, who introduced the art world with his display materialistic, aggressive self-promotion and open courtship of stars.
There is also a prolific Murakami of Japan, perhaps more than anyone else has built its brand in a work process, with the help of his toys and action figures.
The show, which runs from October 1 to January 17, 2010, recreates Keith Haring Pop Shop, which opened in 1986 in New York for his signature brand of goods, works of art limited edition T-shirts, toys and magnets.
And in this exhibition are the works of "Hirst auction Beautiful Inside My Head year forever" last at Sotheby’s, which raised 111 million pounds (177 million) and deliberately ignored the tunnel system have significantly reduced their profits.
Democrat?
While acknowledging that many of the artists in the program have been making as much money as possible, Wood said he had a broader agenda and more.
"The point of losing people who are hooked on the question of money and have a democratic impulse and actively collect works by young up-and coming artists," he said.
"The artist’s position has changed radically, only genius working alone in a studio for artists participating in society."
Many of the 17 rooms in the exhibition are the warnings, because they contain sexually explicit images.
Andrea Fraser’s "Untitled", for example, is one hour long video of the artist having sex with an anonymous collector in a hotel room photos from a camera. Fraser paid $ 20,000 for their services.
"Here the artist, as a service provider, and pushing the point to its logical conclusion is almost beyond comment," Wood said.
Koons has a room dedicated to big photos and a scale model of the artist in sexually explicit poses with his former wife, Cicciolina, a Hungarian-born porn star.
And Richard Prince "Spiritual America" since 1983, returning to photograph the image of a naked youth, Brooke Shields returns to the controversy surrounding the image.
Wood said she and her co-editor had considered restricting access to the exhibition of more than 18 years, but has instead opted to have staff on hand to warn visitors about the explicit content.
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