With the rise of the global economic inflation nowadays (2023), costs go up and people are more concerned with their basic purchases. This may, sometimes, be at the expense of their non-basic ones such as buying a work of art or a novel. Even public funding of museums and book fairs may be reduced as part of the austerity plan. In her seminal article "The Effects of Inflation on the Arts (1981)", Patricia McFate concludes that inflation in the US in the past was not the main cause but still one of the causes of the Art crisis. Other causes included high levels of unemployment, high interest rates, less support from charitable foundations, and so on. What do you think about the 2023 inflation? Can it drive people away from appreciating the arts and humanities? Or are these sectors quite resilient?
Los peruanos sabemos de inflación, hiperinflación y otras categorías económicas negativas que se han sufrido en la vida cotidiana desde hace décadas. Sabemos no sólo por ciencia, sino por experiencia que todo esto afecta la vida diaria, el trabajo, los sueldos y, por ende, la educación y cultura. Las artes y las humanidades están comprendidas en estas últimas.
@Luis: Gracias por su respuesta. ¿En qué sentido han perdido los peruanos el interés por las artes y las humanidades en las últimas décadas?
Hi Abdelhafid,
In the U.S., we are sadly behind most countries in using data and research to quantify impacts of arts and culture on the economy, and vice versa (at least at the federal level). What we do know is that purchases of high art appear to go up during times of inflation or economic upheaval, but this is of course limited to the wealthier aspects of society, and they do this not out of increased appreciation, but because art is seen as a stable form of investment (think keeping gold bricks instead of bank accounts). Otherwise, arts and culture often feel the same market effects as many other categories of consumption labeled "luxury" or at least "non-essential," that is, fewer people making arts and culture expenses.
While these are not data-based, here are a few opinion pieces on inflation and the arts (from the UK and the US):
https://flash---art.com/2022/04/expensive-to-be-poor/
https://amplifyyou.amplify.link/2021/09/how-does-inflation-impact-the-music-industry/
https://www.danceplug.com/article/so-what-is-inflation-and-how-will-it-impact-the-dance-industry
@Whitney Christiansen: that's a very important description of the American context which I thank you for. You mentioned the motivations behind buying high arts in times of inflation which is true. Very interesting links indeed. The same here in Morocco: only the wealthiest tend to buy some expensive "non-essential" goods. Something more telling is the genre of fine art which prospers among such or such social class. Realist works tend to be more appreciated by laypeople in contrast to abstract works.
Agreed on realist works vs. abstract ones! That's likely because realism holds its value over time and has a more stable audience; it's more accessible since you don't need an understanding of the context or artist to understand its meaning. You can buy a realist painting for $100,000 in 2023 and be confident it will sell for $150,000 in a few years, but the abstract art world is much more volatile.
Most of my research work is focused on the creative economy; you're welcome to reach out and ask other questions if you want. My email address is [email protected]. Best of luck in finding the info you need!
@Whitney Christiansen: email address well-noted. In fact, they are large sums of money spent on such works. Your field of research is very interesting. As for mine, I have recently been also driven towards environmental and ecological art which raises eco-awareness. I have started following you and may someday contact you in case I have a question or collaboration proposal.
Abdelhafid, hola, La cultura es una manifestación material y espiritual de un pueblo o nación. Cultura no sólo es monumentos y costumbres, arte, música o danza, cultura también es la creencia y el pensamiento de las personas individual o colectivamente. En el Perú, por ejemplo, se perdió el pensamiento crítico, tanto su enseñanza como la aplicación, en las escuelas secundarias al eliminarse los cursos de Filosofía y Lógica, Economía política y Geopolítica en las escuelas secundarias; este suceso siguió más adelante en las mayorías de las universidades. Esto no fue casual, fue una política de Estado cuando se aplicó el plan Neoliberal. sin embargo, en las comunidades o pueblos originarios hubo una resistencia por preservar algunos valores comunales y su identidad que hoy se expresa en una resistencia desorganizada.
Luis Alberto Bretoneche Gutiérrez Hola! Definitivamente, la cultura tiene muchas manifestaciones como has mencionado (Terry Eagleton, The Idea of Culture). El problema de la crisis de las artes y las humanidades se agrava aún más cuando no existe una verdadera voluntad política o cuando se imponen agendas extranjeras a la población local. Creo que en mi país el caso no es diferente de lo que Pr. Christensen ha señalado. En comparación con los años 70, 80 e incluso 90, la situación de la creatividad artística y literaria está hoy en declive. Pero no debemos olvidar el rol negativo de la tecnología (especialmente Internet), que lo ha digitalizado todo, rompiendo así el vínculo entre la mente y la mano. Gracias.
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