Your Art, My Art
The New York Times today came out with a list of "the 25 works of art made after 1970 that define the contemporary age, by anyone, anywhere." What struck me as most significant was how little any of the works meant to me.
Most of them I had never heard of. All of them spoke of an experience or a way of experiencing the world that is alien to me. The list feels like a collection of paper cut-outs that proclaim themselves to be the definitive representation of the digital age. Now to be clear: I am neither an artist nor an art critic, and though I've spent my fair share of time in a museum, I could hardly be said to be educated about art.
But it begs the question - what would I include in such a list. The last 50 years comprises, for me, my lifespan from ages 10 through 60 - it is, in other words, the art of my life (so far). How does my experience of art compare with that of the NY Times curators?
Let's go though the list.
Here's what I'm going to do. I'…
Most of them I had never heard of. All of them spoke of an experience or a way of experiencing the world that is alien to me. The list feels like a collection of paper cut-outs that proclaim themselves to be the definitive representation of the digital age. Now to be clear: I am neither an artist nor an art critic, and though I've spent my fair share of time in a museum, I could hardly be said to be educated about art.
But it begs the question - what would I include in such a list. The last 50 years comprises, for me, my lifespan from ages 10 through 60 - it is, in other words, the art of my life (so far). How does my experience of art compare with that of the NY Times curators?
Let's go though the list.
Here's what I'm going to do. I'…
