Ethnic Art Falling Out of Favor?: ...During the multiculturalist wave that started in the 1950s, traditional ethnic art flowed in from across the globe. Today, that wave has receded as contemporary art has gained momentum. About 80 percent of applicants to art history programs are choosing contemporary art as their major, according to a recent New York Times report. Meanwhile, it has been decades since the number of new graduate students in non-Western art fields has grown significantly. According to Hills, a dissertation on contemporary art would have been inconceivable 30 or 40 years ago. Now, such dissertations are commonplace.
“Undoubtedly, a higher number of applicants are going to modern, contemporary [art],” agrees Dr. Andrea Giunta, a professor of art history at the University of Texas who has worked on the admissions team for three years. “It’s the most represented area.”
