The cult of art;: Against art and artists

by Jean Gimpel

English, French (translation)

Genres: Art

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Jean Gimpel was a man of great physical and intellectual energy, with a big heart and strong sense of justice. A profound and very practical interest in technology, and especially that of the Middle Ages, was the thread that ran through his working life. It yielded two classic studies, The Cathedral Builders (1958) and The Medieval Machine: the Industrial Revolution of the Middle Ages (1976), underpinned two further books, The Cult of Art: against art and artists (1968) and The End of the Future (1995), and helped make him an effective saboteur in the French Resistance. For his services during the Second World War he was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the Medaille de Resistance and the Legion d'Honneur.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great way to demystify art. As an artist it is important to challenge the sacredness of creating art and art itself. While I do not agree with everything that Jean Gimpel argues I think it is true: The belief on Art for Art's sake has to be transformed into an Art that is useful, that joins that part of humanity fighting for equality, justice and compassion.
Art has changed and transformed through time, from propaganda to a piece for self-expression, and now it should into a way to fight the good fight. It should continue to transform, let's take it from the hands of the burgeois society, it cannot continue to serve their greedy/selfish purposes.

[Ryen Slegr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of the concept of the artist and rise of art as a new cultural religion, demystifying the role tax laws, art dealers and even the artist themselves play in manipulating public perception and the valuation of art. The book ultimately concludes in Gimpel's dismay at artists' inability to adapt and utilize new technologies, essential proposing the abandonment of traditional art forms in favor of TV and Cinema (and a device he describes which sounds a lot like an ipad). Though an exhaustive and not unfair assessment, Gimpel's arguments, especially at the end of the book, are tinged with the weariness and skepticism born from over-familiarity and proximity to his subject, giving you the sense he's posturing as saboteur for shock value in one last attempt to get his reader to reassess their blind devotion to the cult of art.

[Juan Terrorista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno para poder criticar con más argumentos el posmodernismo (o falta de significado y justificativos) en el arte.
Acá una recopilación de frases que hice:
http://es.wikiquote.org/wiki/Contra_e...