Eastern promise – new art reaches the West

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A New Art from Emerging Markets

Iain Robertson

Iain Robertson’s new book, A New Art from Emerging Markets, focuses on developing markets in the Middle and Far East, and the discussion here is quite erudite with substantial critical analysis. This is an intelligently written book, with a clearly articulated argument based on the tensions (at least as far as the Western paradigm would have it) between ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’. 

Robertson is Head of Art Business Studies at Sotheby’s Institute and has already written a couple of well-received books on art market management and the business of art in recent years.  This new project is an ambitious study of the emerging art markets in the East, which is his special area of expertise.  The discussion is divided into geographical areas, from the Far East (Taiwan, Japan, South Korea), to Greater China, India and South East Asia, and also incorporates what Robertson terms the ‘Persianate World’ (Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan). 

Each chapter sketches out the historical and political contexts of the region/nation and communities, allowing Robertson to relate the discussion of the artworks by the contemporary artists as responses to the evolving conditions of their own ‘modernity’.  The complex relationships to the developing International art markets are also addressed, making this a sophisticated, well-researched and original study.  The structure of the book works very well and the frequent introduction of examples of artworks and artists provides for an interesting and enjoyable read. Robertson is an excellent guide, with an impressive grasp of the issues.  There are numerous illustrations of the artworks, sadly only in black and white, but they are well-placed and many of them will, I’m sure, be new to many readers. 

My one quibble was that the final chapter (Offshore Art Exchanges – Hong Kong, Singapore and UAE) was less successful, and appeared to be slightly dislocated from the rest of the book, and whilst I could see what Robertson was intending here, the material was much more well-known (to me), the narrative much more familiar and the discussion much more conventionally business-focused.  That said, this is an excellent book and whilst the intended audience are probably students and specialists, I (as a specialist) still learnt a lot – highly recommended.            

A New Art from Emerging Markets by Iain Robertson is published by Lund Humphries, 2011. 208pp. Many mono illustrations, £25.00. ISBN 978-1-84822-019-5