Thinking out loud here:

The western visual art narrative emphasizes the importance of people as groups, whether religions, nations, ethnicities, age groups. The work was deemed important to a group, so it was selected, protected, enshrined by that group, eventually ending up in the hands of wealthy collectors and their institutions.

Art now emphasizes the importance of wealthy collectors and their institutions. Even when artwork is deemed important to a group, that deeming is done by wealthy collectors. The artists are only too glad to have these investors take positions in their work, with no regard for whatever group concerns inspired the work to begin with.

Agree? Disagree? Why?