Controversial Art Museum
Is this Actually Art?
Artists are constantly pushing the limits of art, experimenting with materials, subjects, and methods of creation. Many times, this experimenation creates controversy, for many people argue that a lot of the so called "art" isn't actually art. This was especially the case in more contemporary times, especially in the Dada movement in the early 1900s. The Dada movement was characterized by unconventional mehtods of representation and also by the use of ready mades: a commonplace object selected and exhibited as a work of art. People argued that the ready mades weren't actually art, sparking the long lasting debate of "What is Art?"
Marcel Duchamp, The Fountain - 1917
The Fountain is a ready-made sculpture by Dada artist Marcel Duchamp made in 1917. The piece was actually a found urinal that Duchamp deemed to be a work of art. Duchamp then entered it in an unjuried art show, but the piece was rejected. The title The Fountain is a pun in that fountains release liquid, but a urinal is meant to collect liquid. The signature R. Mutt is also a pun on the comic strip Mutt and Jeff. The piece caused controversy because people questioned whether this piece is actually art; this brought up the disputed question what is art?
Constantin Brancusi, Bird in Space - 1923
Between 1920 and 1940, artist Brancusi obsessed himself over the theme of a bird in flight. He focused on the movement of the bird rather than the actual physical attributes. Bird in Space is a piece in which Brancusi eliminates the wings and feathers and lengthened the body. The head and beak are reduced to an oval plane. When Brancusi first made this piece, critics did not consider it to be art. They rejected it from galleries. Brancusi himself brought the case before court and argued that the identity of art lies in the mind of the maker. In this piece he tried to express the fundamental idea of the motion of a soaring bird. There is much vertical emphasis and sense of motion.
Robert Rauschenberg, Erased de Kooning - 1953
Erased de Kooning, a piece by pop artist Robert Rauschenberg, was done in 1953. Between 1951 and 1953, Rauschenberg did a series of artworks in which he tested the limitations and boundaries of art, creating controversial pieces which were questioned for their validity. His art during this time period was inspired by artist Marcel Duchamp, whose famous Fountain, which we have here in the Controversial Art Museum, caused lots of controversy. This specific piece stirred a lot of controversy because of its method of creation: Rauschenberg took a drawing by artist Willem de Kooning and erased parts of it to create this piece. Many people also did not understand the meaning behind this piece, adding to the already present controversy.
Jackson Pollack, White Light - 1954
Pollock’s pieces are controversial because he invented a new painting method in the abstract expressionism period; gestural abstraction. He used diluted paint and applied it to assume an appearance of motion. His use of color adds an emotional quality and depth to his pieces. Critics often wonder: “Is it really art?” However, Pollock believes that the method of creating art is just as important as the finished product.
Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living - 1991
In 1990, Damien Hirst, commissioned by Charles Saatchi, led a mission to capture a Tiger Shark off the coast of Queensland in Australia, which would then be shipped to the United Kingdom. The capturing and preserving process cost 50,000 Euros. Hirst then put the beast in a giant glass and steel box, filled with formaldehyde solution. When the piece was unveiled in 1992, Hirst immediately received criticism for using inhumane methods to create art.