This article aims to consider the contemporary art market vis-à-vis the concept of economic freedom. Drawn from a larger study, this paper offers a glimpse of the political function of the art market, which is essentially an economic field. What I demonstrate is an inevitable clash between a free market and between political constructions that effect levels of freedom—concentrating on the parameter of inequality. The article focuses on the case of commercial art galleries, and analyzes their operation under neoliberal conditions, which represent the implementation of the idea of freedom in the economic field. Subsequently, I demonstrate the how high levels of concentration in the art market erode the levels of the equality of the players in the field. Ultimately, I argue that this case offers an example of the more general operation of the art market, which follows neoliberal principles, and thereby undermines the concept of economic freedom that is intrinsic to them.

中文翻译：

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艺术品市场中的经济自由和不平等：以商业画廊为例

本文旨在针对经济自由的概念来考虑当代艺术市场。本文从较大的研究中得出，可以大致了解艺术品市场的政治功能，而艺术品市场本质上是一个经济领域。我所展示的是，在自由市场与影响自由程度的政治结构之间不可避免地发生了冲突，集中在不平等的参数上。本文重点讨论商业美术馆的情况，并分析它们在新自由主义条件下的运作，这些代表了经济领域中自由思想的实现。随后，我展示了艺术品市场的高度集中如何侵蚀该领域参与者的平等程度。最终，