In response to the spread of postwar consumer culture and the expanding global economy, contemporary artists have reflected on the commodity status of art in their work. While many openly embraced art as a commodity, some even going as far as to include consumer goods in their work, a number of artists deliberately circumvented the production of art objects easily bought and sold on the art market and/or openly critiqued contemporary consumerism. For this paper, select four artworks that reflect different ways in which the commodity has been accounted for in contemporary artwork. Describe each artwork in some detail and analyze its formal properties and content, identifying the style/movement it is associated with. Also indicate when and where each artwork was created and address how the context in which the artist was working was influential on his/her artwork.
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