{"id":80684,"date":"2014-12-09T18:49:25","date_gmt":"2014-12-09T23:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=80684"},"modified":"2014-12-10T10:17:46","modified_gmt":"2014-12-10T15:17:46","slug":"art-amnesty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2014\/12\/09\/art-amnesty\/","title":{"rendered":"Art Amnesty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BR_Smith_3\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Why are some people artists while others are not? Was Joseph Beuys an idiot when he said everyone is an artist? Do artists think they are a cut above the rest of us? Are the arts a good in themselves, or is it much, much, more complicated than that?<\/em><\/p>\n

Many artists delude themselves into believing that they are promising, productive artists when they would live much more fulfilled and useful lives engaged in proper employment. I PROMISE NEVER TO MAKE ART AGAIN<\/small> provides a baptism of necessary real life and allows artists to \u201cGet Real.\u201d Ditch a life of poverty and precarious self-employment! Don’t miss a life-changing opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Art: It\u2019s had a good run.<\/p>\n

You know, there was the Venus of Willendorf. And the Dutch Masters\u2014remember them?\u2014and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, all with some very nice work. And Picasso! Who could forget Picasso?<\/p>\n

But we\u2019ve come to the end of the line, more or less. The art world may continue apace, with its Jeff Koonses and its Damien Hirsts, but most artists know only suffering. And to these artists, Bob and Roberta Smith have issued a clear message: go home, clean off your paintbrushes, and do something meaningful<\/em> with your lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe personal journey for most artists starts with enthusiasm and joy,\u201d Bob and Roberta have said, \u201cand ends, if the artist does not have huge success, in embarrassed children taking their dead parents\u2019 work to the dump.\u201d <\/p>\n

It would be better just to quit, no? Bob and Roberta\u2014who are, in fact, one person, named Patrick Brill<\/a>\u2014aim to ease your transition into the world of utility. If, in surrendering your artistic impulses, you have any leftover artworks in need of prompt disposal, take them to MoMA PS1, where, through next March, Bob and Roberta are hosting the Art Amnesty project. It\u2019s an almost unconscionable bargain: you bring them art, they throw it away. Hell, they\u2019ve got dumpsters right there in the courtyard! And if you\u2019re the sentimental type, they\u2019ll let you exhibit your work one last time in the gallery. You know, before it\u2019s unceremoniously destroyed.<\/p>\n

All you have to do is promise never to make art again.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll even get a complimentary badge that says I AM NO LONGER AN ARTIST<\/small>. (No word on whether this offer applies to writers yet\u2014I\u2019m hoping the answer is yes.)<\/p>\n

Got a work of art that isn\u2019t<\/em> yours, but that still demands immediate eradication? No problem! Bob and Roberta Smith will take it off your hands and ensure that it rots in some landfill somewhere, and you\u2019ll sign a pledge that says I NEVER WANT TO SEE THIS WORK OF ART AGAIN.<\/small><\/p>\n

All the details are here<\/a>. With the New Year around the corner, it\u2019s high time you asked yourself: Isn\u2019t it time you gave up?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Why are some people artists while others are not? Was Joseph Beuys an idiot when he said everyone is an artist? Do artists think they are a cut above the rest of us? Are the arts a good in themselves, or is it much, much, more complicated than that? Many artists delude themselves into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[419],"tags":[16323,35,16322,9241,16318,16321,705,16319,7408,16324,16320],"class_list":["post-80684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-culture","tag-amnesty","tag-art","tag-art-value","tag-artists","tag-bob-and-roberta-smith","tag-garbage","tag-moma","tag-patrick-brill","tag-performance-art","tag-ps1","tag-utility"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAt MoMA PS1, Bob and Roberta Smith Offer Art Amnesty<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get real, artists: bring your art to the museum and have it destroyed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2014\/12\/09\/art-amnesty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Art Amnesty by Dan Piepenbring\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"December 9, 2014 \u2013 \u00a0 Why are some people artists while others are not? 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