Opinion & reviews

Editorials, critical reviews, analyses, commentaries, and viewpoints on the contemporary art world.

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20th-Century Opera Repertoire Emerges from Oblivion opinion-review
By the mid-1980s, the prevailing assumption that opera—a bourgeois relic—had died with Berg, crushed by its past, was widespread. The sacred repertoire and the weight of lyrical…
Sylvie Fanchon's Abstract Painting as Mental Models opinion-review
Sylvie Fanchon's resolutely abstract painting takes models in the mathematical sense. The forms she brings to the canvas resemble recurring patterns and schemas. Refusing to name…
Photography's Return to Trash and Interactivity opinion-review
A review in artpress examines contemporary photography's persistent themes of interactivity and trash. Marylène Negro's film "Ni vu. Ni connu. Venez donner une image de vous"…
Benoît Jacquot's 'Le Septième Ciel': A Marital Farce with Technical Disconnect opinion-review
Benoît Jacquot's film 'Le Septième Ciel' (The Seventh Heaven) follows the sentimental and carnal adventures of a couple with an only son. The plot includes a marital crisis,…
Christophe Loizillon's 'Le Silence de Rak' Explores Non-Depressive Unemployment opinion-review
Christophe Loizillon's film 'Le Silence de Rak' portrays a character discovering the non-depressive side of unemployment, contrasting with Hervé Leroux's documentary 'Reprise',…
Andreas Gursky's Distant Voids opinion-review
Andreas Gursky's photographic tableaux persistently designate a zone of emptiness while developing a continuous reflection on the notion of distance. The artist is in some…
Critique of Lucy Orta's 'Carrion-Art' and Other Skeletons in the Closet opinion-review
A critical essay published in Artpress in June 1997 attacks Lucy Orta's practice, specifically her project of collecting rotten fruit from markets, making jam, and distributing it…
Dardenne Brothers' 'La Promesse' Examines Orphaned Filial Bonds opinion-review
In their film 'La Promesse', the Dardenne brothers explore orphaned filial bonds through the story of a teenager's oath to a dying man. The movie powerfully illustrates the hidden…
Philippe Forest's 'L'Enfant éternel' Reviewed by Jacques Henric opinion-review
Jacques Henric reviews Philippe Forest's novel 'L'Enfant éternel', which recounts the illness and death of the author's four-year-old daughter. Published as fiction, the book…
Jacques Vaché and the Refusal to Write opinion-review
The article explores why many writers have been content to live their artistic status through everyday aesthetics or pure conceptual ether without ever truly engaging in writing.…
French Culture Budget Prioritizes Heritage Over Contemporary Art opinion-review
The 1997 budget proposal for the French Ministry of Culture reveals a problematic preference for heritage over contemporary creation, a bias already evident in Philippe…
Artpress 1996: Artists Must Act Politically in New York Election opinion-review
A 1996 article in Artpress argues that during the New York electoral campaign, cultural figures—artists, musicians, writers, actors, teachers, scientists, thinkers—have nothing to…
Artpress Essay Rejects Traditional Painting as Conformist opinion-review
A 1996 essay in artpress magazine, titled 'Dans l'histoire : La peinture vue d'en bas,' expresses a strong rejection of traditional painting ('la peinture-peinture'), calling it…
Artpress Essay: The Permanent Hunt for Intellectuals opinion-review
In a December 1996 essay for Artpress, the author reflects on the concept of hunting, noting that while different game seasons open at different times, one hunt remains…
Baudrillard on Art as Symptom of Western Culture opinion-review
In a 1996 interview with artpress, Jean Baudrillard discusses his critical view of contemporary art, arguing that art has become a simulation that merely reflects the dysfunctions…
Contemporary Dance as Border-Crossing Displacement opinion-review
A critical reflection on contemporary dance in France, published in artpress in September 1996, argues that dancers have become burdensome after fifty years of pushing boundaries.…
The Mychkine Century: A History of Idiotic Art opinion-review
The article argues that modernity coincides with the invention of a specific laughter, which remains the most accomplished form of truly happy and subversive art, resisting both…
Visions de la Shoah: transgression ou grotesque opinion-review
The article examines how the Nazi extermination of Jews was initially sidelined after WWII by national ideologies like the Resistance in France and Zionism in Israel, before…
France's Odd Habit of Celebrating Defeats, Including in Art opinion-review
A critical opinion piece in artpress observes France's peculiar tendency to commemorate its defeats, exemplified by a bas-relief in Paris's 8th arrondissement that honors a…
Georges Banu analyzes the 1994-1995 theater season in artpress opinion-review
In the July 1995 issue of artpress, critic Georges Banu reflects on the recently concluded theater season. Rather than offering a quantitative overview, he situates selected…
Austrian Museum Boom Faces Uncertain Future opinion-review
A 1995 article in artpress questions whether Austria's ambitious museum expansion, which saw a boom in contemporary art venues in Vienna and across the country, is now ending.…
Arnaud Claass critiques the academization of photography opinion-review
Photographer Arnaud Claass, who rarely writes, breaks his silence to denounce the academization of photography under dual pressure from institutions imposing exhibition models and…
Marek Halter's 'Tzedek' and Bernard-Henri Lévy's 'Pureté dangereuse' Reviewed opinion-review
The article reviews two works: Marek Halter's documentary film 'Tzedek,' which profiles thirty-six anonymous Righteous Among the Nations—men and women from Denmark, Italy, Poland,…
The Changing Role of Art Critics Since the 1980s opinion-review
Since the early 1980s, the role of the art critic has evolved significantly. Critics have expanded their methods of action, updated their modes of demonstration, and redefined the…
Jacques Toubon Prioritizes Continuity Over Innovation in French Cultural Policy opinion-review
In an interview with Catherine Millet for artpress, French Minister of Culture Jacques Toubon outlines his approach to cultural policy, emphasizing consolidation of existing…
Daniel Mesguich on Interpretation and Theatrical Freedom opinion-review
Daniel Mesguich, director of Théâtre La Métaphore, discusses artistic freedom, literary vocation, and the role of theater in addressing contemporary complexity. The venue,…
Jean-Pierre Salgas critiques primitive art discourse in artpress opinion-review
In a 1994 artpress article, Jean-Pierre Salgas critically examines the persistent avoidance of primitive art in museums, referencing the Magiciens de la Terre exhibition and the…
Art & Language: Conceptual Art's Turn to Painting opinion-review
The evolution of Art & Language's work exemplifies the contemporary art situation, where many non-painters are obsessed with painting, and painting can only continue if it is…
Bertrand Blier's Film Echoes Sacha Guitry's Televisual Cinema opinion-review
Bertrand Blier's 1993 film "Un, deux, trois, soleil!" draws parallels with the cinematic approach of Sacha Guitry. Despite Guitry's disdain for cinema, he participated in the…
Aesthetics in Art History: A French Critique opinion-review
A 1993 article in artpress critiques the state of art history education in France, arguing it remains dominated by positivism and attributionism that stifle speculative thought.…
Guy Scarpetta Responds to art press Debate on Literary Criticism opinion-review
Guy Scarpetta replies to Jacques Henric's response in art press issue 176, defending his critique of the magazine's 20th-anniversary special issue. Scarpetta argues that literary…
Guggenheim Director Thomas Kren Faces Criticism Over Commercial Practices opinion-review
Thomas Kren, director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York since 1990, has taken bold initiatives that contrast with the sluggish machinery of most major international museums.…
Corporate Art Collections in the US: A New Era opinion-review
The article examines the rise of corporate art collections in the United States, highlighting their dual role as educational and economic tools. Critic Eleanor Heartney notes the…
Scenography's Spatial Turn: From Italian Theater to New Technologies opinion-review
The arrival of electric light and new technologies in light and sound has transformed classical scenography. The traditional Italian-style theater has gradually given way to a…
Jean-Paul Fargier coins 'tivitalité' for video art critique opinion-review
In his insightful essay, Jean-Paul Fargier presents the idea of 'tivitalité' to explore the transition of artists towards video mediums. He highlights the significant presence of…
Laurence Louppe critiques academicism in 1990s dance opinion-review
In a 1992 article for artpress, Laurence Louppe argues that early 1990s contemporary dance is becoming academicized. She claims that mandatory conformity to current taste leads to…
Matthew Barney's Androgynous Body in 1990s America opinion-review
In a 1992 artpress article, Brooks Adams examines Matthew Barney's use of his own body in sculptures and video performances, contrasting it with Jeff Koons's domestic conjugality.…
Foreign Actors Enrich French Theatre, Argues Georges Banu opinion-review
Following a petition signed by numerous artists protesting the over-programming of foreign productions on French stages, critic Georges Banu reflects on the role of foreign actors…
Posthumous Kantor productions questioned opinion-review
Tadeusz Kantor died on December 8, 1990. Since then, some productions have continued to be labeled as Kantor's theater or stagings, despite his absence to authorize them. The…
Opera Staging: Between Minimalism and Drama opinion-review
The maturation of opera staging is marked by a painful transition from the concrete, grandeur-sensitive approaches of figures like Lavelli, Chéreau, Ronconi, and Strehler to a…

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