Opinion & reviews

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

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Laurence Louppe analyzes dance history in Festival d'Automne review opinion-review
In a review published in artpress, Laurence Louppe assesses the Festival d'Automne's impact on dance history, highlighting key choreographers and themes. She examines Merce…
Guy Scarpetta's A-to-Z Critique of Avignon 1991 opinion-review
In a 1991 article for artpress, critic Guy Scarpetta offers an alphabetical critique of the 1991 Avignon Festival, featuring headliners Zingaro, Peter Brook, and Karine Saporta.…
Contemporary Art's Ontological Shift Through Painting opinion-review
The article argues that following Marcel Duchamp's readymade, the contemporary art world believed only crumbs would remain, as his work questioned art's ontology and boundaries.…
Ad Reinhardt's 'Abstract painting' and the Gaze opinion-review
Ad Reinhardt's 1957 painting 'Abstract painting' bears the artist's own generic title on its reverse, a deliberate gesture to emphasize the work's self-contained visual presence.…
Georges Banu on the Lost Presence in Theatre opinion-review
In a 1991 article for artpress, critic Georges Banu examines the fate of proximity-based performing arts—theatre, dance, and opera—and their complicit relationships. Through…
Ashley Bickerton's Apocalyptic Visions of Ecology opinion-review
Since the 1980s, numerous American artists have incorporated consumption and social determinism into their work. Today, environmental issues are drawing their attention. Eleanor…
Régis Durand Criticizes 1990 Mois de la Photographie opinion-review
Régis Durand condemns the vague structure of the 1990 Mois de la Photographie, arguing its three main sections have a negative impact on the festival. The Japan section is a major…
The End of Painting in Paris opinion-review
In a 1991 essay for artpress, the author declares that painting is finished. Paris, once a global capital of art like Athens, Alexandria, Bruges, Florence, and Rome, has become a…
Guy Scarpetta Analyzes Philip Roth's 'The Counterlife' opinion-review
In a 1989 article for artpress, critic Guy Scarpetta offers a close reading of Philip Roth's novel 'The Counterlife'. Scarpetta, known for his analytical precision, deconstructs…
Guy Scarpetta revisits Trisha Brown's early stage works opinion-review
In a follow-up to his 1979 text 'Le mouvement brownien', Guy Scarpetta reflects on Trisha Brown's early choreography, describing it as 'broken, unbridled, paroxystically propelled…
The Problem of Replacing Broken Objects in Contemporary Art opinion-review
A 1989 article in artpress examines a specific issue in contemporary art: artworks today are often composed of manufactured objects. What happens when one of those objects breaks…
FIAC Dossier: German Art as Myth or Reality? opinion-review
A 1989 FIAC dossier questions the identity of German art, noting that two decades earlier no one would have considered a distinct German art scene. The fourth Documenta in Kassel…
Mario Merz's Retrospective Questioned opinion-review
A review of Mario Merz's work argues that the concept of a retrospective is foreign to his practice, as he freely reuses a repertoire of figures and forms across different…
Sophie Calle: Transgressive Art as Lived Experience opinion-review
Sophie Calle's work blurs the line between art and life, using indiscretion, voyeurism, audacity, and rudeness as legitimate artistic strategies. These behaviors, which would be…
Daniel Buren's In Situ Concept Becomes Commonplace opinion-review
The concept of in situ, originally theorized and pioneered by Daniel Buren as a radical critique of exhibition space, has become the obligatory mode of presentation for…
French Bicentennial Commentary Critiques Contemporary Intellectual Vacuum opinion-review
A 1989 commentary published in artpress critiques the intellectual climate surrounding the French Revolution's bicentennial commemorations. The article argues that contemporary…
Victoria Combalia Analyzes Antoni Tàpies' 1981 Painting 'Esquena' opinion-review
Victoria Combalia examines Antoni Tàpies' 1981 painting 'Esquena' to explore the Spanish artist's philosophical approach. Tàpies began his artistic career in the immediate…
Guy Scarpetta's fictional dialogue questions cinema's status as art opinion-review
Guy Scarpetta engages in a fictional dialogue exploring the differences between art enthusiasts and cinephiles. He argues that cinephiles exhibit a voracious consumption of films,…
Robert Storr Analyzes Ross Bleckner as a Contemporary Dandy in Artpress opinion-review
In a December 1988 article for Artpress, critic Robert Storr examines the work of American painter Ross Bleckner, framing him as a modern dandy who navigates societal…
Art Criticism and Contemporary Art Inherit Contradictory Tendencies opinion-review
A critical analysis from November 1, 1988, published by artpress, examines the dual inheritances shaping contemporary art and criticism. The text identifies two conflicting…
Flamenco as Europe's Sole Living Popular Art opinion-review
In a 1988 article from artpress, the author argues that Flamenco stands as the only popular art form in Europe that has remained genuinely alive, avoiding the fate of being…
Jean-Pierre Vincent's Approach to Staging Thomas Bernhard's Challenging Theater Works opinion-review
Jean-Pierre Vincent has developed a distinctive method for presenting the complex theatrical works of Austrian playwright Thomas Bernhard. Bernhard's introduction to French…
Theater Directors Shift from Textual Violation to Rigid Preservation of Classical Works opinion-review
A critical examination of contemporary theater practice reveals a dramatic reversal in how directors approach classical texts. Where once stage directors freely manipulated and…
Artpress Article on Luis Buñuel's Artistic Classification Debated in 1988 opinion-review
An Artpress article from October 1, 1988 examines the classification of Luis Buñuel's work, questioning whether it should be considered surrealist or baroque. The piece was…
Swiss Gallerists Assess FIAC's Standing Against Art Basel opinion-review
A survey of five Geneva-based gallerists reveals mixed opinions on the FIAC art fair's position relative to Art Basel. While Eric Franck, Pierre Huber, and Daniel Varenne…
Artpress Critiques the 43rd Venice Biennale as an Art of Its Time opinion-review
The 43rd Venice Biennale is described as representing the art of its era. The author notes it has been roughly a decade since knowledgeable contemporary art audiences visited a…
Contemporary Art's Growing Interest in Non-Western Traditions and Indigenous Canadian Artists opinion-review
Contemporary art circles have recently developed a curiosity for forms that are equally contemporary but do not belong to the Western modernist tradition. This interest is…
Dan Cameron Advocates for Multicultural Perspective at Venice Biennale Amid Neo-Conceptualist Focus opinion-review
Dan Cameron's perspective on the Venice Biennale emphasizes a multicultural approach, contrasting with the global art criticism focus on American neo-conceptual artists during the…
Critique of Monumental Works at Documenta in Champignac opinion-review
The art scene has recently been dominated by monumental works, raising questions about their justification in relation to the scale of their exhibition spaces. This trend prompts…
Critical Perspective on Frank Stella's Career and Public Persona opinion-review
A critical examination of Frank Stella's career trajectory reveals how his public persona has grown to overshadow his artistic output. At just fifty-two years old, Stella has…
Denis Laget's Painting: A Provocative Blend of Classic and Contemporary Figuration opinion-review
Denis Laget's painting, while executed with classical technique, aligns with the contemporary "figuration libre" movement, creating a sense of ambiguity. His work raises questions…
Le Corbusier's Reputation Shift from 1960s Criticism to 1980s Hero Status opinion-review
During the 1980s, Le Corbusier's public perception underwent a significant transformation. The decade's dominant refrain of "Incontournable Corbu" (Unavoidable Corbu) replaced the…
Louis Calaferte's 'L'Incarnation' Hailed as a Great Book opinion-review
In a September 1987 issue of artpress, an unnamed critic declares that among the season's new releases, Louis Calaferte's 'L'Incarnation' stands out as a major literary work. The…
Spain's Cultural Opening Centered on Madrid, Says Future IVAM Director opinion-review
In a 1987 interview with Art Press, the future director of the Institut Valencien d'Art Moderne (IVAM) questions why Spain's major cultural opening, supported by the Ministry, has…
Tony Cragg's Sculptural Language as Minimalist Mannerism opinion-review
An article in artpress from July 1987 frames Tony Cragg's early work as a mannerist response to Minimalism, comparing it to Richard Long's practice. While Minimalism is seen as a…
Lawrence Weiner's Conceptual Challenge to the Art Market opinion-review
For years, Lawrence Weiner has consistently allowed the exhibition of the concept in place of the artwork. This practice serves as a critique of the art market's fetishization of…
Proust-Ruskin Idolatry Trial Reopened by Christian Jacomino opinion-review
Christian Jacomino argues that the relationship between Marcel Proust and John Ruskin, long considered fully understood, requires reexamination. In an article for artpress, he…
Imi Knoebel's Paradoxical Synthesis of Malevich and Beuys opinion-review
Imi Knoebel achieves a paradoxical synthesis of the legacies of Kasimir Malevich and Joseph Beuys. Although his art is non-objective, he transcends formalist narrowness and its…
Tom Wesselmann's Serious Pop: Rooted in Abstract Expressionism opinion-review
Tom Wesselmann, often pigeonholed as a carefree Pop artist, is in fact a deeply serious painter who has worked for over thirty years within the tradition of Abstract…
André Lombardo champions contemporary music against academicism opinion-review
André Lombardo, a self-described Lacanian who abandoned psychoanalysis, now dedicates himself to defending contemporary music. He defines "actuel" as that which participates in…

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