The Return of Beauty in Contemporary Art Discourse

Christian Caliandro analyzes the recent re-emergence of the term 'beauty' in contemporary art discourse, focusing on its use during the press conference for the 2024 Venice Biennale titled 'Stranieri ovunque' (Foreigners Everywhere). Biennale president Roberto Cicutto expressed satisfaction with curator Adriano Pedrosa's promise of 'tanta bellezza' (much beauty), as evidenced by paintings from New Zealand, Korea, the Philippines, Argentina, and Brazil. Caliandro notes that beauty has long been a contentious concept in contemporary art, often dismissed as kitsch or irrelevant since Duchamp's readymades and the 1960s. He cites Natalie Heinich's 'Il paradigma dell'arte contemporanea' (Johan & Levi, 2022), which argues that beauty ceased to be a pertinent criterion. However, Caliandro observes a resurgence of beauty over the past decade, linked to a desire for tangible, handmade objects in a digitally saturated world and market preferences for decorative surfaces. In Italy, beauty carries patrimonialist connotations, evoking the 2013 film 'La grande bellezza' and a focus on cultural heritage as economic driver. The Venice Biennale itself was founded in 1895 by intellectuals led by mayor Riccardo Selvatico partly to revitalize the city. Caliandro warns that this patrimonialist slant may conflict with contemporary art's core values. He concludes by awaiting how Pedrosa's vision will materialize in the exhibition.