In the Art World, Globalism’s New Spin

When the struggling US economy turned to globalization as its saving grace in the 1990s, the art world embraced globalism as a key principle. However, the promise of economic globalization has faded for many, and similarly, globalism fell out of favor among some curators. Globalism is returning to the world of contemporary art in the form of global consciousness, explains Holland Cotter of the New York Times. Specialized museums have long showcased the work of diverse artists, but Cotter emphasizes the shift in major institutions. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art have invested in contemporary work from around the world to supplement traditional, Western-focused collections – and the latter is playing catch-up by reviewing art in storage and interviewing elderly artists. Cotter concludes: “global consciousness is what museums teach, or should teach: the simultaneous existence of many different cultures, and the equal value of those cultures, everywhere, through the centuries, and right now. It’s a lesson that stands in exact opposition to the pall of intolerance….” – YaleGlobal