‘It is Duchamp who is to blame for the whole “is it art?” debate. As far as he was concerned the role in society of an artist was akin to that of a philosopher; it didn’t even matter if he or she could paint or draw. An artist’s job was not to give aesthetic pleasure – designers could do that; it was to step back from the world and attempt to make sense or comment on it through the presentation of ideas that had no functional purpose other than themselves.’ Will Gompertz
It’s a great book isn’t it?!
Excellent. A joy to read.
I didn’t know about the book, or the author, so I googled him – thanks! It does look like a very good book, a refreshing point of view.
The book is ‘What are you looking at?’ and I really can recommend it with confidence. The information is sound and interesting and it is communicated in a ‘friendly’ rather than an academic style.