capitalist realism

Meaning

Noun

• A short-lived German pop art movement of the 1960s.
• An ideological framework for viewing capitalism and its effects on politics, economics, and public thought.

Origin

• Possibly coined in 1963 when it was used as the title of an art exhibition/performance in Düsseldorf
• {{cite-web
• |year=1963
• |title=Leben mit Pop. Eine Demonstration für den Kapitalistischen Realismus
• |author=Gerhard Richter
• |authorlink=Gerhard Richter
• |author2=Sigmar Polke
• |authorlink2=Sigmar Polke
• |author3=Konrad Fischer-Lueg
• |trans-title=Living with Pop. A Demonstration for Capitalist Realism
• |url=http://mediaartnet.org/works/leben-mit-pop/
• |work=Media Art Net
• {{cite-web
• |title=1961–1964: The Düsseldorf Academy Years
• |work=Gerhard Richter
• |url=https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/biography/19611964-the-dusseldorf-academy-years-4
• , alluding to socialist realism. The term was later reused in a political philosophy context by cultural theorist Mark Fisher.{{cite-book
• |title=Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?
• |year=2009
• |author=Mark Fisher
• |authorlink=Mark Fisher (theorist)
• |isbn=9781846943171
• |chapter=3
• |publisher=Zero Books