Richard Grayson

The Objectivist Studio is a work that uses texts from the writings of Ayn Rand (1905-1982) as its starting point. Rand was the author of the novels, 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'The Fountainhead' and the founder of 'Objectivism' - a philosophy that holds that 'the purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness or rational self-interest.' She expressed these ideas in her fiction and in publications such as 'The Objectivist Newsletter', 'The Objectivist', and 'The Ayn Rand Letter', and her books 'Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology' and 'The Virtue of Selfishness'. (continued below)

Grayson has made 'The Objectivist Studio', hypothesisitng a style (or maybe an occluded movement ) in the productions of contemporary art that directly articulates Rand's philosophy.

The Objectivist Studio addresses relationships between contemporary art's historical identification with ideas of 'transformation and change and the wider social, economic and market infrastuctures and audiences in which it now operates. In 1991, a joint survey by the Library of Congress and Book of the Month Club called Atlas Shrugged the "second most influential book for Americans today," after the Bible. Since the financial crisis of 2008, sales of 'Atlas Shrugged' have surged. In 2009, the book sold half a million copies, and more than 7 million copies have sold since it was published in 1957. The book is No. 2 on Amazon's bestseller list for political fiction and No. 2 for classic fiction.In the UK her novels 'The Fountainhead', 'Atlas Shrugged', 'We the Living', and 'Anthem', are published in Penguin Modern Classics editions.

In an interview with the New York Times in 2007 John A. Allison, the chief executive of BB&T, one of the largest banks in the US said: "I know from talking to a lot of Fortune 500 C.E.O.'s that 'Atlas Shrugged' has had a significant effect on their business decisions, even if they don't agree with all of Ayn Rand's ideas,...It offers something other books don't: the principles that apply to business and to life in general. I would call it complete," he said. Gore Vidal described the book as "nearly perfect in its immorality."

Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve who oversaw the program of deregulation and embrace of the 'free market' approaches that have shaped contemporary banking and finance was a devotee of Ayn Rand. Greenspan first met her when he was 25 and working as an economic forecaster. He was married to artist Joan Mitchell, a member of Rand's inner circle, known as the Collective, that met every Saturday night in Rand's New York apartment. According to Jeff Britting, the archivist of Rand's papers. Greenspan was attracted to "her moral defense of capitalism.". Shortly after 'Atlas Shrugged' was published in 1957 Greenspan wrote a letter to The New York Times in response to a criticism that "the book was written out of hate," saying "'Atlas Shrugged' is a celebration of life and happiness. Justice is unrelenting. Creative individuals and undeviating purpose and rationality achieve joy and fulfillment. Parasites who persistently avoid either purpose or reason perish as they should."