Carbono orgánico en el suelo

Economic capital, in relation to cultural production is one of the driving themes behind this research project, in trying to discover whether there is a tension between artistic and commercial in artistic careers. The disavowal of economic capital in cultural fields, and the negative implications of contamination by the market, or the economic, are pertinent issues, as highlighted by Bourdieu (1993) through his work in developing the concept of economic capital, Bourdieu argues that artists are ‘torn’ between artistic and commercial since “the internal demands of the field of production […] regard commercial successes as suspect” (Bourdieu 1993: 50).

Economic capital is understood as material wealth, ranging from money to property. In investigating the circumstances of artistic careers and artistic production the term is applied predominantly to money or financial means. Economic capital does not hold a dominant position in the field of cultural production, unlike its influence in wider society and Bourdieu positions economic capital as just part of the framework of capitals since not everything is reducible to economic capital. For example, although economic capital can provide greater access to the tools and services (materials and art school education) which might grow artistic capital, there still needs to be investment of time and a degree of aptitude to learn – economic capital cannot purchase these outright. Similarly with social capital, possessors of economic capital can be said to have greater access to certain groups achieved through family connections or privileged schooling, but again social capital requires development which involves time and even possession of artistic capital as markers of legitimacy.

Although artists value their ‘disinterestedness’ in economic capital (Bourdieu 1993), they do not maintain a ‘pure’ position on the continuum between autonomous and heteronomous production since this would infer that those who never secure economic capital from their artistic practice are the most valued by the field. Webb et al stated,

“If the failure to accumulate economic capital or rejection of commercial success are markers of the possession of high levels of symbolic capital, then the true avant gardes […] should be more valuable than the consecrated established artists” (Webb et al 2002: 161)

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Yet this is not the case and artists are seen to make some concessions to economic capital, a claim that will be examined through this chapter.

Economic capital in this chapter, and in the wider analysis of artistic careers, is applied not only to money leveraged from selling art work and from artists’ fees, but also the money artists derive from employment – which is most often used to subsidise their practice. In addition economic capital can also be secured through public support, public funding and social security benefits - which is another means for artists to secure economic capital outside of the structures of the art market and other labour markets which they engage in. In relation to addressing the research question of whether there is a tension between artistic and commercial in artistic careers, an analysis of economic capital proves helpful in highlighting the instances when artists are engaged in addressing economic activity, or are within the domain of economic capital. These scenarios help to uncover whether there is a tension and if so, how this tension is understood and managed by artists. Artists’ relationships with the market, money and the economy are fraught with feelings of discomfort and a fear of being contaminated by money; or even of just being seen to be contaminated.

This chapter aims to gain a deeper understanding of artists’ employment as well as how they understand the market for art, the processes of earning a living, their attitudes towards employment and ultimately the relationship between money and art. The chapter focuses on some of the key relationships and negotiations which artists have in relation to their art market. It uncovers an understanding of how artists make decisions about what work they do and when, and importantly how this might affect their artistic careers and artistic capital.

This chapter begins with an analysis of artists’ attitudes towards employment, exploring the arts-related and non-arts related roles they undertake alongside their artistic practice. This is followed by an exploration of their attitudes towards money in art, how they are able to adapt their practice when faced with financial constraints and their tendency to reinvest their economic capital back into their practice whenever possible. This section also addresses payments they receive for artistic work outside of selling their work, artist’s fees and so forth. The final two sections of this chapter address the commercial and public sector. The first explores artists’ work with commercial galleries, how the

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relationship is structured, what tasks commercial galleries undertake and selling art work. The second examines the importance of public support, both in terms of public funding for the arts, either through subsidy or publicly funded arts organisations, but also in terms of indirect subsidy through social security benefits which was a prevalent theme in the empirical data.