But by the late twentieth century, with more Americans…
““But by the late twentieth century, with more Americans going to college, making more money, and, thanks to more affordable airfares, traveling to Europe and Asia, the market for art was expanding, as were the number of artists.18 A growing educated middle class had the money to support the ballooning number of galleries. David Brooks had noticed the blending of bohemian and bourgeois—or “bobo”—sensibilities in 2000.19 Gentrified neighborhoods are the urban habitus of the bobo, and art galleries are about as good a signifier of gentrification as wine and coffee bars. In fact, many wine and coffee bars in gentrified areas are art galleries where a revolving cast of local artists display their work. By the mid-2000s, “a new kind of ambition was taking hold,” writes Ann Fensterstock of Williamsburg in Art on the Block, a history of the turn-of-the-millennium New York art scene. There was “a thirst for critical attention in the wider, increasingly international art world. The notion of producing art for profit was no longer anathema.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The rise of a college‑educated middle class expanded art markets, merging bohemian and bourgeois tastes, making galleries symbols of gentrification and profit‑driven art.
In simple terms: More educated, wealthier people grew the art market and linked galleries to gentrified neighborhoods.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how cultural shifts affect art consumption.
Themes
gentrification
art market
culture
economics
social class
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
sociological
critical
When to use this quote
- urban planning
- gallery owners
- artists
- collectors
- policy makers
Key Concepts
cultural capital
consumer behavior
urban development
Questions to Reflect On
- How does gentrification reshape local art scenes?
- What responsibilities do galleries have to community?
A Different Perspective
Profit motives can dilute artistic integrity and exclude marginalized voices.