A great quote, where ever it may apply. "Somewhere out there in collectorland is the unlucky guy who will be the last one holding the vacuum cleaner, and wondering why."
mando On Nov 25, 2009, at 6:40 AM, William Conger wrote: > Not a bad rebuttal. Let the game continue. > wc > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Chris Miller <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Wed, November 25, 2009 8:20:35 AM > Subject: Re: Reading Dutton: Chapter 10 - Four Characteristics of > Great Art > > Ben Davis begins by asking "Is it becoming cool to hate conceptual > art? " and > immediately moves to the proposition "that conceptual art is no art > at all." > -- by way of introducing his discussion of Duttons Op-Ed piece > in the New > York Times which he immediately characterizes as "an assault on all > things > "conceptual,"" > > But if you take the time to read Dutton's piece, you will find that > Dutton is > only contemplating the future cash value of the top selling > conceptual art of > our day. If the human "art instinct" responds to displays of > virtuosity, will > the virtuosity of these pieces be apparent to future generations > who are > unfamiliar with "todays intellectual zeitgeist.". And he > provocatively > concludes that "Somewhere out there in collectorland is the > unlucky guy who > will be the last one holding the vacuum cleaner, and wondering why." > > Nowhere does Dutton suggest that he hates all conceptual art or that > conceptual art is no art at all. He calls Marcel Duchamp > "endearingly witty", > while in "The Art Instinct" he takes that few steps further, and > compares > "Fountain" to a brilliant, prescient move made by a master chess > player, and > ticks off all of the reasons why that piece is properly considered > a work of > art. > > Does Dutton's argument imply that "art has become a game for > insiders with no > connection to popular values of art."? Hardly. He never makes that > distinction at all, and it's a bit sloppy to conflate "popular" with > "instinctive". > > Does Dutton ask whether "craft is a value left over from our > grandparents > culture." ? No he does not - and he never mentions craft at all in > the op-ed > piece (although he does discuss it in Chapter 10 of "The Art > Instinct", where > he asserts that "The arts are not just crafts". > > Instead, Dutton questioned whether "painstakingly developed artistic > technique is passi, a value left over from our grandparents culture." > > So once again, Ben Davis has mis-stated Dutton's position, and then > bravely > changed forth to attack it -- presumably for the benefit of the > beleaguered > fans of conceptual art who are standing on the sidelines cheering > wildly. > > "Slam dunk" indeed. > > Which doesn't mean that Dutton's op-ed piece on the art market > and Acheulian > hand axes is especially enlightening. > > It's more like pulling the tiger's tail by way of self promotion, > and I'm sure > that Ben Davis' shrill, clumsy, heavy-handed, partisan response > suits him > just fine. > > > ...................................................................... > ... > > > >> See today's www.artnet.com/magazine for Ben Davis on Dutton. Good >> slam-dunk. > wc > > http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/davis/in-defense-of- > concepts11-24-09 > .asp > > ____________________________________________________________ > Weight Loss Program > Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/c?cp=Lab- > yveZpJTKoaW_9RhYDAAAJz6c > l_zTaptgNR5c8Mer1v9kAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEUgAAAA > A=
