Catherine Millet Questions Limits of Revisionism in Art History

Catherine Millet, editor of artpress, questions the limits of revisionism in art history in the July 2002 editorial. She references a large painting by Fougeron currently on view at Tate Modern, expressing skepticism despite honest examination. Millet also discusses the exhibition 'Cher Peintre' at Centre Pompidou, which includes works by Bernard Buffet, and doubts that the new context will change her opinion of the painter. She acknowledges that artpress has previously supported revisionism, such as the rehabilitation of Picabia's late work. However, she argues that some 'rediscoveries' remain suspect for those who view art as a matter of taste and intelligence, opposing the flatly historical vision gaining ground in museology. Millet criticizes the use of vague categories like political engagement or imagery in painting, which leads to arbitrary curatorial choices. She recalls that nearly twenty years ago, the Musée d'Orsay pioneered the historical approach, and protests were made against the prominence given to academic painters like Bouguereau and Cabanel at the expense of Manet and the Impressionists. She questions whether that exhibition truly changed art history. Millet notes that Serge Lemoine, the new director of Orsay, may not give better space to Impressionism but promotes Puvis de Chavannes, which she finds more pertinent given his views on modernity. She concludes that the limit to revisionism is the framework provided by a coherent thought on art.