GCC ❤️ Modernism

Modernism was not a late stage of Western art. It marked the death of the Western artistic tradition and the beginning of something entirely new — the art of global industrial capitalism….
Abstract art and modernist architecture — the point is far from original with me — together form the official style of global corporate capitalism. Older Western art was conservative and civic or Christian and sought to evoke the Greco-Roman or medieval heritage of Europe and its settler states like the USA. That’s why so many statehouses were built in Roman style and so many college campuses and churches are built in Gothic style.
But industrial corporations, particularly those dreaming of conquering global markets, do not want to alienate potential customers with parochial regional imagery, be it Western or Asian or Middle Eastern. The more placeless and timeless buildings and works of art appear to be, the better. [Michael Lind on mistaken identity]

Since 2004, Deutsche Bank has been the lead sponsor of Frieze, an international art fair that originated in London and expanded to New York and Los Angeles. This sponsorship will continue and only grow, according to Fabrizio Campelli, the company’s global head of wealth management.
“It’s a very important platform that plays a very important role for the wealth-management business,” Campelli said in a phone interview. “There’s a genuine interest that’s leading many of our clients to not just be passionate about art and treat it as object of admiration, but also as repository of invested value.’’ [Katya Kazakina on NY Lobby Art]

Modernity has been globalizing all along, but the realization of global modernity was obstructed by two products of capitalist modernity itself: colonialism and socialism. Decolonization since the Second World War has restored the voices of the colonized, and opened the way to recognition of the spatial and temporal co-presence of those whom a Eurocentric modernization discourse to invisibility and backwardness. Decolonization owed much to socialism as ideology, and the presence of socialist states. But as long as socialism persisted as a viable alternative to capitalism, the effects of decolonization were dissolved into the teleologies of Eurocentrically conceived modernity. The decline and fall of socialism in the course of the 1980s opened the way to the globalization of capital. It also eliminated socialism as a crucial obstacle to cultural appropriations – and, therefore, the proliferation – of modernities, which now find expression in the fragmentation of a single modernity into multiple and alternative modernities. [Arif Dirlik on Global Modernity]

“The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 offer significant philanthropic and marketing opportunities for corporate and foundation engagement through our customized and wide-ranging sponsorship platform. Programs available for sponsorship include exhibitions, performances, film, education, benefit events, public programs, and more. From brand marketing, digital content, and bespoke activations to special events, VIP access, and more, our diverse program allows sponsors to connect with MoMA’s audiences across a variety of platforms.” [MOMA Corporate Sponsorship]