Met Store at JFK Terminal 8, New York
The market for the art of India may be weakening, according to Delhi dealers quoted recently in the Hindustan Times.
But the market for faux art offered at the Metropolitan Museum’s new store in Delhi is apparently booming. The Indo-Asian News Service reports:
The stream of visitors has come as a pleasant surprise to the museum authorities, who had initially been hesitant to begin their Indian venture.
Is this some kind of weird variant on Gresham’s Law—reproductions drive out the real? And are you ready Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Agra and Jaipur (additional Indian cities said to be under consideration for the Met merchandising monsoon)?
You can now acquire Met stuff at 23 of its boutiques in the U.S. and 16 international locations. Who needs satellite museums when you can financially exploit your institution’s “brand” at satellite shops around the world?
CultureGrrl
Lee Rosenbaum's cultural commentary
an ArtsJournal blog