Critic Explores the Elusive Definition of 'the Artworld' Through Personal Survey and Historical Context
A critic initiated a WhatsApp survey to gauge views on 'the artworld,' garnering responses from several hundred to hundreds of thousands. This notion, which originated in the eighteenth century, has transformed through various crises. Participants discussed the possibility of multiple artworlds, citing Arthur Danto's 1964 essay. The lines within contemporary art have become increasingly indistinct, illustrated by a T-Rex at a Christie's auction and MoMA PS1's publication on mass incarceration. In a lecture last week, graduate students accused the critic of being complicit. The critic compared the artworld to a provincial market town, emphasizing the ongoing tensions between art, money, and power. The dialogue also explored the effects of the pandemic and the balance between inclusivity and exclusivity. Ultimately, the critic argued that the artworld serves as a fictional framework for exploring art's boundaries.
Key facts
- An informal survey via WhatsApp asked about the size of 'the artworld,' with answers ranging from several hundred to hundreds of thousands.
- The artworld is a recent historical invention, emerging in the eighteenth century with Romantic ideas of art as an independent field.
- Arthur Danto's 1964 essay 'The Artworld' was referenced in discussions about defining the concept.
- Contemporary art has blurred boundaries, exemplified by a T-Rex in a Christie's sale and MoMA PS1's book on mass incarceration.
- Graduate students at an American university last week challenged the critic's claim of being outside the artworld, accusing them of cognitive dissonance.
- The critic analogizes the artworld to a provincial market town where artists and writers move in and out.
- A pre-lockdown argument in an East London pub involved debating whether artists and critics should be socially embedded in communities.
- The artworld is seen as a fictional construct for examining art's relationship to money and power.
Entities
Artists
- Arthur Danto
Institutions
- Christie's
- MoMA PS1
- Artforum
- artreview.com
Locations
- East London
- London
- United Kingdom
- Santiago
- Chile
- Chelsea
- New York
- United States