Markets and Cultural Voices: Liberty vs. Power in the Lives of Mexican Amate Painters

by Tyler Cowen

This intriguing work explores the world of three amate artists. A native tradition, all of their painting is done in Mexico, yet the finished product is sold almost exclusively to wealthy American art buyers.

Cowen examines this cultural interaction between Mexico and the United States to see how globalization shapes the lives and the work of the artists and their families. The story of these three artists reveals that this exchange simultaneously creates economic opportunities for the artists, but has detrimental effects on the village.

A view of the daily village life of three artists connected to the larger art world, this book should be of particular interest to those in the fields of cultural economics, Latino studies, economic anthropology and globalization.

Genres: Art, Cultural, History

202 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2005

About the author

Tyler Cowen (born January 21, 1962) occupies the Holbert C. Harris Chair of economics as a professor at George Mason University and is co-author, with Alex Tabarrok, of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution. He currently writes the "Economic Scene" column for the New York Times and writes for such magazines as The New Republic and The Wilson Quarterly.

Cowen's primary research interest is the economics of culture. He has written books on fame (What Price Fame?), art (In Praise of Commercial Culture), and cultural trade (Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World's Cultures). In Markets and Cultural Voices, he relays how globalization is changing the world of three Mexican amate painters. Cowen argues that free markets change culture for the better, allowing them to evolve into something more people want. Other books include Public Goods and Market Failures, The Theory of Market Failure, Explorations in the New Monetary Economics, Risk and Business Cycles, Economic Welfare, and New Theories of Market Failure.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the most different kind of Tyler Cowen book: a deep dive into the lives of Mexican amate painters, and how trade benefitted them. Lots of rich microdata and interesting texture: the fundamental thesis is that trade is good and brings growth to the poor, while enabling their creativity. Lots of subsequent Cowenian themes come to the fore: the importance of economic growth (the rise of Amate painting brought growth of 3-6% to the village of Oapan), the value of biography (indeed the biography of failure in particular), public choice considerations around the corruption and unhelpful nature o, the importance of markets, and developing taste. Some lovely Amate prints within the book, and interesting artistic and cultural analysis too. Markets are good! Trade is good!!!!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not an economist, but I learned a lot from this very enjoyable book. It is a great counter to oversimplifications about globalization and a fascinating story of some great artists. Another book by Cowen on the same themes, which is not a case study, is In Praise of Commercial Culture. That book is, I think, better than this one. But this one is great, especially if you don't know anything about amate painters.

[Brahm Jahansooz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book gave me a good insight into how art interacts with markets and how art can come to be a profitable business model. The book gives a differing view than the normal trend in regards to globalization.