---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Megacollectors suppose they can enter art…"
description: "\"Megacollectors suppose they can enter art history by spending astronomical amounts.\" — Jerry Saltz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png"
---

#  Megacollectors suppose they can enter art history by…

![“Megacollectors suppose they can enter art history by spending astronomical amounts.” quote by Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png)

> “Megacollectors suppose they can enter art history by spending astronomical amounts.”

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The claim that collectors can “enter” art history by spending huge sums mocks the idea that money alone grants cultural insight.

**In simple terms:** Money doesn’t equal true art knowledge.

Key Takeaway

Avoid equating wealth with expertise.

Themes

critique art market elitism

Mood

skeptical reflective

Type

critical analytical

When to use this quote

- gallery visits
- art education
- collecting
- fundraising

Key Concepts

cultural capital valuation of art

Questions to Reflect On

- How does spending affect perception of art?
- What alternatives exist for genuine learning?

A Different Perspective

Financial power can still influence access to art.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-history/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/)

## Related quotes

> [Well, I think that California has had a history of always spending more money than it takes in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/well-i-think-that-california-has-had-a-history-of-always-spending/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [Imagine it's 1981. You're an artist, in love with art, smitten with art history. You're also a woman, with almost no mentors to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/imagine-it-s-1981-you-re-an-artist-in-love-with-art-smitten-with-art/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [“The history of art is full of women lying around naked for erotic consumption by men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-history-of-art-is-full-of-women-lying-around-naked-for-erotic/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [My art history papers were really politics. They were about the manifestation of culture through the eye of political events. So there was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roselee-goldberg/my-art-history-papers-were-really-politics-they-were-about-the/)

[Roselee Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roselee-goldberg/)

> [Well, intellectual importance is directly linked to financial value in the art world. I mean, thats the thing you really want - museum quality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/well-intellectual-importance-is-directly-linked-to-financial-value-in/)

[Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/)

> [I was at one point thinking about being an art historian, when I was in school. And not being an artist, but I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-was-at-one-point-thinking-about-being-an-art-historian-when-i-was/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/this-is-an-hour-of-history-that-troubles-our-minds-and-hurts-our/)

[Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/)

> [I believe in originality, primarily. However, it's important to know what there has been before to aim in that direction. Art history informs us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/i-believe-in-originality-primarily-however-it-s-important-to-know/)

[Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/)

> [I majored in art history. But I took theater classes, and every semester I was in college productions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-devito/i-majored-in-art-history-but-i-took-theater-classes-and-every/)

[Lucy DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-devito/)

> [ “The object \[Duchamp's Fountain\] was rejected , giving Duchamp the opportunity of issuing a statement, which he published in a review, The Blind Man.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-weston/the-object-duchamp-s-fountain-was-rejected-giving-duchamp-the/)

[Neville Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-weston/)

> [Narrative, fiction filmmaking is the culmination of several art forms: theater, art history, architecture. Whereas doc filmmaking is more pure cinema, like cinema verité…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/narrative-fiction-filmmaking-is-the-culmination-of-several-art-forms/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Listening to the radio every day for an entire year was a prison sentence. It was the most depressing, annoying, debilitating project I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/listening-to-the-radio-every-day-for-an-entire-year-was-a-prison/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [Because I'm an art historian, I have some experience of writing that comes out of close attention. That's what really art history is. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/because-i-m-an-art-historian-i-have-some-experience-of-writing-that/)

[Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/)

> [Studying art history is actually one of the few ways of getting a good job in the arts sector. It's hard to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/studying-art-history-is-actually-one-of-the-few-ways-of-getting-a/)

[Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

## More by Jerry Saltz

> [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Kinkade estimated that one of his paintings hung in every twenty homes in America. Yet the art world unanimously ignores or reviles him. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/kinkade-estimated-that-one-of-his-paintings-hung-in-every-twenty/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [The German ueber-photographer Andreas Gursky was the perfect pre-9/11 artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-german-ueber-photographer-andreas-gursky-was-the-perfect-pre-9-11/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [The debut show, “Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary,” is supposed to be about how artists reuse humble or unusual materials. There’s good work here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-debut-show-second-lives-remixing-the-ordinary-is-supposed-to-be/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [While the space for artists and curators has increased enormously, maybe, just maybe, that's left room for too many people calling themselves artists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/while-the-space-for-artists-and-curators-has-increased-enormously/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Those who love him love that he sells the most art; they take it as a point of faith that this proves Kinkade is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/those-who-love-him-love-that-he-sells-the-most-art-they-take-it-as-a/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> ['Untitled' is a time machine that can transport you to 1992, an edgy moment when the art world was crumbling, money was scarce, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/untitled-is-a-time-machine-that-can-transport-you-to-1992-an-edgy/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [I love art dealers. In some ways, they're my favorite people in the art world. Really. I love that they put their money where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-love-art-dealers-in-some-ways-they-re-my-favorite-people-in-the-art/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-nominee-for-best-picture-of-the-year-maybe-the-best-picture-ever/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Many things happened in the sixties, but the period is no more significant, better, or more 'political' than today. It's time to turn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/many-things-happened-in-the-sixties-but-the-period-is-no-more/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [When people in stadiums do the Wave, it's the group-mind collective organism spontaneously organizing itself to express an emotion, pass time, and reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/when-people-in-stadiums-do-the-wave-it-s-the-group-mind-collective/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Few contemporary artists mined the space between the ordinary and the strange better than Orozco did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/few-contemporary-artists-mined-the-space-between-the-ordinary-and-the/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [The giant white cube is now impeding rather than enhancing the rhythms of art. It preprograms a viewer's journey, shifts the emphasis from process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-giant-white-cube-is-now-impeding-rather-than-enhancing-the/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Art schools are partly the villain here. (Never mind that I teach in them.) This generation of artists is the first to have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/art-schools-are-partly-the-villain-here-never-mind-that-i-teach-in/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [There's one Baldessari work I genuinely love and would like to own, maybe because of my Midwestern roots and love of driving alone. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

[Explore all 213 Jerry Saltz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

## More Amount quotes

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/)

[Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/)

[Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/)

> [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/)

[W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/)

> [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

Richard Doll

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

F. A. Harper

> [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/)

[Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/)

> [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/)

[Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/)

> [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/)

[Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/)

Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Megacollectors suppose they can enter art history by spending astronomical amounts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jerry Saltz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-art-history-by-spending/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Amount"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-art-history-by-spending/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/049/jerry-saltz-1712_amount_megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-ar_882424.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Megacollectors suppose they can enter art history by spending astronomical amounts.” — Jerry Saltz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jerry Saltz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Megacollectors suppose they can enter art...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-art-history-by-spending/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/megacollectors-suppose-they-can-enter-art-history-by-spending/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
