The reason for the conversation on Radio 1 was the exhibition program at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. This year the museum is devoting five exhibitions to the concept of migration. Beatrix Ruf about this on the museum's website: "It is important to keep telling new stories, both with our collection and with individual exhibitions. Especially now, as a counterbalance to the populism that is increasingly on the rise in Europe."
Baudet is not surprised: "You see it in all artistic expressions, people are very much into taking sides, always against the right. I think that's becoming so predictable." The brand-new member of parliament therefore wants to initiate a "cultural movement in which we also want to enrich and broaden the contemporary art world." That's fine, enrich and broaden. What he meant was that he wants to move art to the right, that it is no longer so socially critical, but that there is room for a different sound. What kind of sound would that be?
So the art we see around us is leftist art, or is perceived as leftist art. According to Baudet, you see it everywhere, also in music, also in architecture and so on. Everywhere leftist art, everywhere is taken sides, against the right. An interesting observation, even if not based on truth. Anyway, Baudet made a plea for more right-wing art - which, by the way, according to Baudet, is currently being made by people who can't get a subsidy or virtually no subsidy, nor access to art education.
So we are 'overfed' with leftist and socially critical art, against the right, for the EU, for open borders." What does that say? That most artists and exhibition makers are leftist and socially critical. Why is that? There could be many reasons for that, one of which may have to do with an artist's average merits. Traditionally, leftism belongs to people who are not on the side of big money, out of necessity or choice. Most artists are not rich, and if they are, they have often experienced periods of relative poverty. That promotes leftist thinking.
Therefore, a tip for cultural spokesmen who would like to see more right-wing art: make it possible for artists and exhibition makers to become idiotically rich. Devise a ruse that will make them think in terms of profit margins, conversions and outlets. Invoke a model by which artists will eventually have money in abundance. Slowly, that irritating leftist social criticism will quiet down and rich artists will dig in and have less desire to worry about inequality in the world.
Or is that too simple?