How have artists made money across history? How did money and power influence their creative careers? The purpose of this course is to compare art in its socio-economic and political contexts in China and in the West. It will examine how art, money and power interacted in important periods in art history: Classical Athens, early Renaissance in Florence, Dutch Republic in the 17th century, France in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the United States of America since 1945. They will be compared with China in the Qin, Song, Ming, Qing dynasties and China since the 1911 Revolution. We believe that, when studied comparatively, art is an integral part of the society.