Jean-Pierre Cometti on Art, Critique, and the Institution

In an interview with artpress, philosopher Jean-Pierre Cometti discusses his book "Art et facteurs d'art" (Presses universitaires de Rennes) and his translation of Peter Bürger's "Théorie de l'avant-garde" (Questions théoriques). Cometti argues that philosophy should not legislate on art interpretation; instead, he focuses on how artistic practices are invested with meaning and legitimized by social conditions and institutions. He introduces the concept of "facteurs d'art" (art factors) to describe the pragmatic and performative modalities involved in the identification and recognition of artworks. Cometti critiques the ontological autonomy of art, viewing it as a contingent historical product tied to the emergence of the "institution art" as described by Bürger. He advocates for a Deweyan pragmatist approach, emphasizing experience over objecthood, and sees performance as a key model for understanding art. Cometti also discusses the relevance of Bürger's book, which took 38 years to appear in French, arguing that it helps assess the contemporary art situation and the unresolved questions posed by historical avant-gardes. He positions himself as an anti-essentialist, insisting that art has no essence and that its understanding requires attention to language games and contextual practices.