The Boundaries of Art
And how someone always points out "the banana taped to a wall"
I appreciate art, but sticking a banana to the wall with duct tape is a bit too much. That's not art.
- One of my new colleagues
In January, I started working for The Art Society, an exclusive club for art collectors, sponsored by ING Private Banking, Mobull and Hiscox. The warm welcome from my ING colleagues, who eagerly subscribed to my newsletter, inspired this week's edition. One conversation stood out: "Emily, I appreciate art, but sticking a banana to the wall with duct tape is a bit too much. That's not art."
The artwork in question was Maurizio Cattelan's, Comedian, (2019) – a fresh banana taped to a wall with duct tape. Presented at the art fair Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, two editions sold for an astonishing $120,000 each.
"I'm actually glad to hear you recognize your own boundaries in art,” I replied. “We all have our limits, and just because art is my passion doesn't mean I automatically accept everything. I also still encounter boundaries in defining what is or isn't art."
A week later, another colleague approached me: "My wife and I enjoy visiting museums occasionally. But when we enter the modern art section and see a canvas with some random tears, you can't help but think, ‘ 3-year-old could do that’. That's not art." This conversation pointed to the work of Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), an avant-garde artist renowned for his canvases featuring intentional cuts in the late '50s and '60s.
I replied: “I think, the more you learn about art, the more your boundaries shift and/or expand.” As you delve deeper into art history and various forms of art, as you learn more everyday, your understanding evolves. Your opinions about art also move beyond finding a piece aesthetically pleasing or not. Beauty can be a potential starting point, but in my opinion should not be a necessity for art (that’s how my boundaries grew!).
Eternity (2018): An artwork that ties everything in this story together
But let's circle back to the banana story. So, what do I think about the banana? Do I consider it a groundbreaking piece of art? No, not really. But do I appreciate the artist? Absolutely.
Maurizio Cattelan (b. 1960) is a conceptual artist, where the idea behind the artwork holds more significance than its actual execution. The final result of a piece isn't determined yet, and that, in itself, is already a somewhat challenging concept to digest for many people since art history has taught us that we only label something as 'art' when the execution showcases exceptionally high quality, like a Rubens painting.
The banana didn’t do it for me, but another work by Cattelan did.
Eternity (2018) was an art concept created for Art Basel Cities, a project where the art fair Art Basel organized events in an emerging art city. In 2018, Buenos Aires (Argentina) was in the spotlight and guess who happened to be living there at that time? Yes, that’s right, yo girl Emily.
The artist invited the residents to submit proposals for a pop-up graveyard where residents could create tombstones. It may sound a bit macabre and strange initially, but in the heart of Buenos Aires lies a magnificent cemetery that is truly a famous tourist attraction.
Some impressive submissions that the artist approved: a tombstone for Lucio Fontana (the artist mentioned earlier) which was a perforated stone inspired by Fontana’s own work. And you can interpret it as a fountain or a urinal haha. (I’m still deciding if the resident liked Fontana’s art or not).
Another amusing example was a resident who sarcastically created a tombstone for an artist that’s actually still alive: Jeff Koons (b. 1955). When I first saw this I laughed so hard because this artist with his famous balloon dogs has been a central figure (and still is) in the discussion whether his creations are considered art or not. The resident of Buenos Aires who submitted the tombstone surely believed they were not.
And that, dear reader, brings us back to the beginning of this newsletter: where are the boundaries of art? And is this art or is it not?
Until next week,
Emily x
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