Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Art - Extra-European
art, grade: A+, University of California, Los Angeles, course:
Contemporary Chinese Art Seminar, language: English, abstract: This term
paper explores the increasing presence of Chinese collectors of
contemporary Chinese art. It is driven by the idea that collectors
'produce' or cultivate meaning in the larger canon of art history. Based
on Belk's analysis of collecting as a consumption activity (1991), the
motivations of these collectors and the resulting implications for
contemporary art are investigated. The development of patronage and art
appreciation throughout China's tumultuous past, and the current barren
cultural landscape have given rise to a collector who differs greatly to
the traditional model. At the same time, it is hypothesized that there
exists a more deeper-lying uniquely Chinese altruism next to the amalgam
of social refinement, identity, nationalistic and financial motives. On
the basis of this, is suggested that whereas the current nature of
collecting contemporary art in China does not yet demonstrate the high
level of critical thinking and sophistication that would be beneficial
for the development of the contemporary art scene, there nevertheless
lies potential for a more healthy development in the years to come.