Tristan Trémeau's 'In Art We Trust' Exposes Artist Pension Trust as Speculative Finance

The book 'In Art We Trust' by Tristan Trémeau explores the Artist Pension Trust (APT), established by Moti Shniberg in 2004 to serve as a retirement fund for emerging artists. Over a span of 20 years, APT gathers 20 artworks from each participant, selling them to redistribute the capital. Trémeau critiques APT as a representation of global capitalism, with local branches in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, Berlin, Mumbai, Beijing, and Dubai, managed by Pamela Auchincloss. An Advisory Board featuring John Baldessari, Kiki Smith, and others supports the initiative. APT aims to include 250 artists per fund, amounting to 2,000 artists and 40,000 artworks, while investors provided $23 million for its launch, which Trémeau argues rationalizes exploitation of artist precarity.