This volume examines visual artists' careers in the East German region of Saxony, as seen through the lens of cultural policy studies. The book discusses how myth binaries, memory layers and identity markers shaped artists professional lives in an interwoven and fluid approach following German unification, taking a fresh look at the intricacies of visual artists' careers within the specifics of the cultural, social and political changes. It surveys artists' professional practice and work under the new framework of the professional class, and discusses the implications for the profession of artists with special reference to visual artists. Simone Wesner looks beyond geographical and political contexts and provides the reader with a longitudinal narrative that produces a revised understanding of artists' careers within the cultural policy context.

Offers a combined focus on professionalization, career development, and cultural policy within the field of cultural policy research Addresses the lack of longitudinal research on artists' careers in the cultural policy context Acts as a counterweight to previously published literature on cultural labour in the creative industries

Autorentext
Simone Wesner is Lecturer in Cultural Policy and Arts Management at Birkbeck, University of London, UK.

Inhalt
Part One.-1. Introduction: Understanding Artists.- 2. The Artist and the Artistic Myth.- 3. Memory.- 4. Identity.- Part Two.- 5. Inherited Certainties: Transitional Cultural Policies and Visual Artists.- 6. Artists' Professionalization and Careers in the Cultural Policy Landscape.- 7. Conclusion: Artists, Policy and the Future of the Professional Class.