The Museum of Modern Art

The deconstruction process of the principles that define a work of art began with modern art (covering roughly the duration of the Third Republic in France), even before contemporary art it has developed since World War II.
Impressionism breaks the academic rules for representation, fauvism those for the depiction of colours and cubism those for the depiction of volumes; expressionism breaks the rules for representation, futurism contravenes humanistic values, dadaism offends against the criteria of seriousness, surrealism contravenes probability; the various types of abstraction from suprematism or constructivism to abstract expressionism transgress even the very principle of depiction itself: from one generation to the next, modern art breaks the canonical principles of art and causes scandals by doing so.

Nathalie Heinich. 1998. Le triple jeu de l’art contemporain. Paris: Minuit, p. 19.

Miquel Barceló. 1988. Huîtres III. Technique mixte sur toile. 200 x 200 cm. Collection privée.
Andy Warhol. 1984. Portrait of Hubert, Franz and Friedler. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas. 102 x 204 cm. Prêt Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich.
Jean Tinguely. 1963. Radio Tokyo II. Haut-parleur, éléments d’un transistor, fer. 92 x 26 x 15 cm. Collection A. L’H., Genève.

The Museum of Modern Art

Modern artists are going to fight against the tradition which prefers technical competence to the force or originality of the subject – a tradition that the pompous painters of the 19th century pushed to the limit. Modern artists, are going to support the opposite of savoir-faire.
Today painters work freely. They can devote themselves totally to their search without having to submit to the demands of clients. Freed from the restrictions of painting to order, they like to be inspired by everyday life, borrowing ideas, but also images, materials and objects from it.
Their interest in the power of objects, the meanings or ideas that they harbour, places painters in a field which was hitherto reserved to poets and philosophers. Their production is no longer subject to a specific and immediately identifiable technique. With works that hardly resemble paintings any longer, the artists gain a new distance to their work, enjoy making fun of themselves, practise self-derision, even self-destruction.
If the project demands a technical skill which is beyond that of the artist, he will hire a craftsman, a worker or an engineer for the production. The work of an artist no longer depends on technical mastery, but on the strength for evocation that the work bears. And for it to achieve its aim more directly, it is better to dispense with its sacred aspect. The work is made commonplace and could be confused with everyday objects.

Christophe Domino. 1994. L’art moderne. Paris: Centre Georges Pompidou, pp. 67-68.

L’art des affaires est l’étape qui succède à l’Art. J’ai commencé comme artiste commercial, et je veux finir comme artiste d’affaires. Après avoir fait ce qu’on appelle «de l’art» (ou ce qu’on veut), j’ai plongé dans l’art des affaires. Je voulais être un «businessman de l’art», ou «artiste des affaires». Faire de bonnes affaires c’est l’art le plus fascinant. Pendant l’ère hippie, les gens méprisaient l’idée d’affaires — ils disaient «L’argent est nocif», et «Le travail est nocif», mais faire de l’argent est un art, travailler est un art, et les bonnes affaires sont le plus beau des arts.

Andy Warhol. 1977. Ma philosophie de A à B et vice-versa. Paris: Flammarion, p. 79.

Hors-champ:
Jean-Michel Basquiat. 1983. Da Vincy’s water theory for Victor Hugo. Huile sur toile. 168 x 153 cm. Collection privée.

> Merchandising.
Casquette. Gorres Magritte 2 ModelSX2. c) 1996 Charly Herscovici Brussels. Importé. Usagé. Achetée 1700 Pts à la Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona. MEN 98.64.1
Tasse. Mug Picasso Guernika. Achetée 1700 Pts au Museu d’Historia de Catalunya (Botiga llibreria), Barcelona. MEN 98.65.1