Daniel Birnbaum, as seen in the previous post is a well known curator and was a speaker at TEDGlobal in 2009. Birnbaums talk was very influential on the future of the art world and who is powering it. He makes an interesting statement about the previous art audience. People still associate the bohemian lifestyles with artists but it that is not necessarily true for the artists audience. Art acquisition has become a cultural phenomena. People spend money at auctions on prominent pieces because they can and feel as if it elevates them in the social realm. The art world is moving global with powerhouses in Europe, the United States and China. There are millions of dollars being spent on art because it has become apart of our lifestyle. The record for an auction house sold piece of work is Alberto Giacometti's L'homme Que Marche 1 which sold for $103.7 million in 2010.

It is also not always correct to think that there are only two types of people in the art world - the poor artist and the wealthy collector. There is the middle person, the admirer. There are many large scale festivals that are taking place all of the world and Birnbaum references to the biennales, specifically the Venice Biennale which he is most known for curating. Birnbaum also notes that people are coming from all over the world to not only participate in the festival but also appreciate the pieces. People are beginning to become more comfortable with art and appreciate it more, even if they don't have an art background.



Reference:
http://blog.ted.com/2009/07/24/daniel_birnbaum/