Art For Sale

Inspired by the new show Making It, Jack and Zoe dig into the modern craft movement. What role do online services like Etsy play in the distribution and commodification of craft? As it turns out, craft is a great way to discuss Marxism 101. We also discuss why Craftivism is more substantive than other forms of "nice activism".

Jack and Zoe discuss Boots Riley's new film, Sorry to Bother You.

Jack and Zoe discuss Jay-Z and Beyonce's new music video, Apeshit. Shot and the Louvre, the couple presents black people contrasted with the white art of classical Europe. What is the relationship between fine art and black artists, subjects, and viewers? What is the limit of activism by hyper wealthy artists? What is the limit of the classical perspective on art?

Jack and Zoe discuss Raul Peck's 2017 film The Young Karl Marx.

Jack and Zoe return to Andy Warhol, discussing the famed pop artist's struggles with his sexuality and the depth he didn't want to show in his art. We reference the article "Dick Tracy and the Case of Warhol's Closet: A Psychoanalytic Detective Story.

Technical issues and job interviews mean we're taking a few weeks off.

Sorry in advance for the audio issues! Corrupted files lead to a few problems. This week, Jack and Zoe discuss Kara Walker, famous and influential modern artist. Her work depicts a brutal history of America in unforgiving and unapologetic terms. Walker places real America in front of the viewer and demands engagement with what has been hidden behind caracitures and romanticism. Instagram: @ArtForSalePC Twitter: @ArtForSalePC Patreon.com/ArtForSale Kanye Article: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/kanye-west-and-why-the-myth-of-genius-must-die/

This episode Zoe and Jack discuss the 2016 film Imperium and the artist Clark V. Fox. Imperium casts Daniel Radcliffe as an FBI agent fighting institutional apathy and white supremacy to stop a bomb threat. The movie is a straightforward look at the threat of white supremacy in America and the FBI's insufficient response to it. Clark V. Fox is a Native American artist who critiques capitalism and the United States, known as the grandfather of underground art. We discuss a few pieces, but plan to come back to talk about him more in the future. Instagram: @ArtForSalePC Twitter: @ArtForSalePC Patreon.com/ArtForSale Blog w/ art: http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/2018/04/episode-16-imperium-film-discussion.html

Jack and Zoe discuss the old trope of the starving artist. This idea is bound up in the development of commodified industrial capitalism. The art world today is divided between a small elite of bourgeois artists and a large class of economically precarious creatives, reflecting the class dynamics of capitalism at large. The most prominent artists create only for the wealthy capitalists' cycle of conspicuous consumption of ruinous decadence. Meanwhile, most of those with creative vision are sidelined by the intentionally vicious machinery of capitalism.

Piracy is the illegal consumption of digital copyrighted content. This episode, Zoe and Jack discuss their personal histories of piracy and the widespread ubiquity of piracy in the internet age. We focus on music and video game piracy and the impact it's had (or not had) on the industries and artists creating the media we consume. How can the world adapt to the inevitably of endless free media? Twitter: @artforsalepc Instagram: @artforsalepc Patreon: Patreon.com/ArtForSale Blog: http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/

We're joined by the Art History Babes' Corrie to discuss the arts and crafts movement, William Morris, and making socialism work in a society that won't let it. Twitter: @artforsalePC Instagram: @ artforsalePC Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ArtForSale

SORRY FOR THE AUDIO ISSUES - there was a serious echo problem with this recording that hours of work just couldn't quite fix. Turn the volume down a bit and enjoy like normal. We talk about Jewish female artist representations of the mythical biblical figure Lilith, the first wife of Adam according to Jewish lore. Lilith, once seen as a demon, has been reclaimed as a symbol of independence and a rebirth during the 2nd wave feminist movement and beyond. Also featuring a short chat about recent museum visits in DC. Blog with images of art: http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-rebirth-of-lilith.html

This week we discuss Pablo Picasso. We discuss his training and the art style of the period. We also cover Picasso and primitivism and imperialism in Europe in the early 1900s. Picasso's life was marked by war, we discuss work that shows his outspoken opinion against tragedy and destruction, and his lifelong commitment to communism and peace. Blog Post with art: http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/2018/03/this-week-we-discuss-pablo-picasso.html Twitter: @artforsalepc Instagram: @artforsalepc

We discuss how the ruling class controls the art market and why that's so destructive. How do artists get into galleries? What types of galleries exists, and what is the culture like? We also cover the idea of conspicuous consumption and art buying and how the working artist struggles to get started in late stage capitalism. Twitter: twitter.com/artforsalepc Instagram: instagram,.com/artforsalepc

This week we read and discuss Art Historian Linda Nochlin's 1971 Article, "Why Have There Been No Great Female Artists?". We talk about what it means to be "great", how society has affected the way women study art, feminist art, and the early women's liberation movement. Blog Post: http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/2018/02/this-week-we-read-and-discuss-art.html Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtForSalePC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artforsalepc/

On this episode we talk about Jean-Michel Basquiat. We cover his career, some specific works of art, and why he is a key contemporary artist. We also discuss the use of race, language and criticism of capitalism in his art work and his persona. Blog Post: http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-radiant-child-jean-michel-basquiat.html Twitter:

We're finally back, and this time we're back for good! Our return episode is on the looting and destructing of art by the Nazi's during WWII. In this portion we cover Nazi attitudes towards modern art, degenerate art, and the looting of Poland, Paris, and Leningrad. Blog Post http://artforsalepodcast.blogspot.com/2018/02/art-war.html Twitter https://twitter.com/ArtForSalePC

[REUPLOADED - oops I put up the unedited version before] The second episode in our series on museums, today we talk about museum boards and foundations. Who is in charge of a museum's operations and mission? What role does their class play in how museums and other nonprofits functions? What is an alternative vision for museums under a socialist society?

We're back! After a hiatus, we have come back. This is the first in 2-4 (?) part series on museums. How they operate, who runs them, who they're for.

Father John Misty is a singer that varies between irony drenched satire of hipsters and sincere lamentations of the worst of modern capitalist society. Jack and Zoe discuss his career, music, and the struggle to keep going under late capitalism.

Andy Warhol's life, art, and legacy are defined by an impossible-to-interpret approach to capitalism and consumerism. What lessons did Andy try to teach with his art? Why is he so prevalent in the American psyche to this day? What about Pop Art is so culturally powerful? Jack and Zoe discuss and debate a little bit of everything Andy Warhol (but still barely scratch the surface!)

Donald Trump's presidential budget proposal will eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts if passed. What is the NEA? Why does art in the community matter, and why does capitalism abhor art for art's sake? Will the budget pass?

We talk about the life, art, and politics of Frida Kahlo and discuss the commodification of her iconic image. How does one make a profit off an avowed communist who never wanted to become a brand?