Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose work has come to epitomize the notion of art as a commodity, is also a perfect example of the importance of widespread access to culture. If consumerism has expanded from designer clothes and fancy cars to include museum visits, we all lose.īeyoncé and Jay-Z in a gallery at the Louvre While the Carters’ stunning video exemplifies how far some Black people in this country have come, it also reinforces the misperception, held by many, that art is a luxury.

And in discussing how museums can create opportunities for discovery and affirmation, Roman Krznaric, founder of the Empathy Museum, said: “Developing empathy has the power to create radical social change.” However, touting art as a luxury reduces the number of seats at the table, undermining the notion that arts spaces are platforms that can host difficult conversations about issues (race, class, gender, etc.) that affect us all. The same report states that “listening to other perspectives” is a key value held by the majority of museumgoers. Meanwhile, a 2015 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) report found that one of the top reasons people in the US visit arts spaces is to learn something new. How? By showcasing the work of under-represented artists, adjusting admission fees, diversifying its staff and volunteers, and adopting the slogan: “Here for you.” Earlier this year, that institution reported that it had tripled its number of visitors of color (now comprising 45% of the museum’s total visitors) in just two years. However, museums like the High Museum of Art in Atlanta are trying to buck this trend. But what happens if we believe that these spaces can only be claimed by people of color if they are the Obamas or the Carters?īeyoncé, Jay-Z, and dancers in front of the Winged Victory of SamothraceĪ 2010 study by the American Alliance of Museums found that while people of color will make up 46% of the American population by 2033, they are on track to only represent 9% of museums’ core audiences. The unveiling of the Obamas’ portraits provided an opportunity for under-represented populations to see themselves in spaces from which they’re so often excluded. The event was remarkable for a multitude of reasons, including that the paintings were the first presidential portraits commissioned by Black artists - Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald that they fit into an all-white historical context and that they represent rare examples - like the “Apeshit” video - of Black people being heralded in predominantly white spaces. However, while the Carters’ accomplishment underscores the egregious lack of representation and audiences of people of color in art spaces, it also perpetuates the damaging notion that art is a luxury.Įarlier this year, the former US President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama nearly broke the internet when their official portraits were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery.

The music video is a true feast for the eyes as beautiful people take over a beautiful place in ways we’ve never seen - because people of color rarely have the opportunity to claim such spaces, a fact that adds to the extraordinariness of the couple’s feat. The couple, duly proud of their feat, proclaim repeatedly throughout “Apeshit,” “I can’t believe we made it,” while celebrating and contemplating their range of accomplishments in the most hallowed of European halls.

It was an extraordinary feat: a top-secret mission to shoot a music video in one of the most prestigious museums in the world - a space where the art is incalculably valuable and security is tight. The mission was seamlessly accomplished by pop culture superheroes Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Beyoncé and Jay-Z in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the video for “Apeshit” (all screenshots by Hyperallergic via YouTube)

Beyonce jay z music video apeshit