Universal Prostitution and Modernist Abstraction
A Counterhistory
Book • 2025
Jaleh Mansoor's "Universal Prostitution and Modernist Abstraction: A Counterhistory" offers a re-examination of Marxist aesthetics through the lens of modern art.
The book explores the intersection of gendered and generalized labor within modernist abstraction, analyzing artworks from various periods.
Mansoor connects the concept of 'universal prostitution' – Marx's allegory for modern labor – to the dehumanizing aspects of the art market and the objectification of the artist and model.
She argues that avant-garde artists often implicitly critique capitalist modes of production through their artistic forms and processes.
The book ultimately suggests a counter-praxis to capital, highlighting how art can reveal the hidden abstractions of everyday life.
The book explores the intersection of gendered and generalized labor within modernist abstraction, analyzing artworks from various periods.
Mansoor connects the concept of 'universal prostitution' – Marx's allegory for modern labor – to the dehumanizing aspects of the art market and the objectification of the artist and model.
She argues that avant-garde artists often implicitly critique capitalist modes of production through their artistic forms and processes.
The book ultimately suggests a counter-praxis to capital, highlighting how art can reveal the hidden abstractions of everyday life.
