What is art?

Marcel Duchamp, ‘Readymades’

French artist Marcel Duchamp is renowned for his ‘readymades’: artworks made from ordinary, manufactured objects, that the artist selected and modified. Duchamp created a total of thirteen readymades during his career, purposefully selecting functional, or dull objects. Early examples include ‘Bicycle Wheel’ (1913) – a wheel mounted to a wooden stool - and his famous ‘Fountain’ (1917): a repurposed urinal inscribed ‘R. Mutt 1917’, which sparked debate about what was and wasn’t art when it was first unveiled. The definition of ‘readymade’ first appeared in the ‘Dictionnaire Abrégé du Surréalisme’ (Abridged Dictionary of Surrealism), by French writer and poet André Breton, who described it as “an ordinary object elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist”.

Damien Hirst, ‘For the Love of God’

“Death is such a heavy subject, it would be good to make something that laughed in the face of it,”¹ said British artist Damien Hirst, discussing ‘For the Love of God’ – his sculpture of a human skull, cast in platinum and encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds. The work’s title was inspired by an exasperated exclamation from Hirst’s mother: “For the love of God, what are you going to do next?” – a reference to the controversial nature of the artist’s early pieces, which include a tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde. Costing £14 million to create, ‘For the Love of God’ is reported to have sold for £50 million in 2007 – a record price for a work by a living artist at the time.

Kurt Schwitter’s collages

German artist Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) is best-known for his ‘Merz’ compositions – small collages which combine repurposed materials, such as magazine clippings, with found objects, typography and poetry. A nonsense word, ‘Merz’ later evolved into ‘Merzbau’ or ‘Merz buildings’. The first of these was in his house, where he constructed around forty ‘grottoes’ – adding materials to the fabric of the building, which, in some cases, extended through windows. Discussing his decision to create art in non-traditional mediums, the artist explained: “I could see no reason why used tram tickets, bits of driftwood, buttons and old junk from attics and rubbish heaps should not serve well as materials for paintings”².

Kara Walker’s cut outs

Kara Walker’s intricate cut-paper silhouettes have become a signature medium – reviving and reinterpreting a genteel tradition popular in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Walker’s cut-outs typically depict black figures against a white wall, arranged in powerful, panoramic compositions that explore and critique historical narratives around slavery – as well as contemporary racial and gender stereotypes. From the early 2000s, she began to create video installations and ‘magic lantern’ projections using her cut-outs, developing short sequences accompanied by the music of a Southern country band. Discussing her decision to use cut-outs, the artist explained: “the silhouette says a lot with very little information – but that’s also what a stereotype does”³.

Jeff Koons, ‘Puppy’

Twice a year, twenty people spend nine days replacing all of the plants that make up the exterior of ‘Puppy’ – Jeff Koons’ monumental sculpture of a West Highland white terrier, which has stood sentinel before the Guggenheim Bilbao since 1997. Referencing the formal gardens of the 18^th-century European elite, the sculpture – which measures more than 40 feet in height – also nods to pop culture imagery, continuing an interest pursued in iconic works by Koons, such as his polished ‘Balloon Dogs’. Though ‘Puppy’ is a permanent installation, its biannual makeover results in a changing display of living blossom that shifts with the seasons. Underpinning this verdant exterior are five levels of scaffolding and a network of pipes that supply the plants with water and food.

Jenny Holzer, ‘Truisms’

American artist Jenny Holzer is best known for her thought-provoking, text-based installations, which have appeared on everything from posters and disposable cups to a giant electronic signboard displayed in New York’s Times Square. Discussing her work, the artist has said “I used language because I wanted to offer content that people – not necessarily art people – could understand”⁴. Early texts, such as those in the artist’s ‘Truisms’ series, echo the language of breaking news, advertising or mass media – a tactic the artist hoped would prompt people to question the “usual baloney they are fed” in daily life.