Carte Blanche (CB), a twoyear research project by the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst (2008–10) offers its exhibition space to private initiatives— i.e., collectors, businesses, or commercial galleries.This book analyses the contributions made by private initiatives and places them in a wider context of art theory dating back to the 19th century. Reflections on the changing relations of art and commerce, on museum history, or shifts in the balance of public and private form the framework into which CB, an often provocative project, is embedded.