Friday, January 06, 2006

I don't know much about modern art

But I know that this is confusing:
PARIS -- A 76-year-old performance artist was arrested after attacking Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" -- a porcelain urinal -- with a hammer, police said.

Duchamp's 1917 piece - an ordinary white, porcelain urinal that's been called one of the most influential works of modern art -- was slightly chipped in the attack at the Pompidou Center in Paris, the museum said Thursday. It was removed from the exhibit for repair.

[...]

During questioning, the man claimed his hammer attack on Wednesday was a work of performance art that might have pleased Dada artists.
That's a tough call, but I suspect they'd have been more pleased if he'd worn it around as a hat.

Anyway, it turns out that this is the second time the guy has vandalized the $3.6 million "artwork." Back in 1993, he actually peed into the thing, which shows that he's actually pretty deep or very funny.

Or maybe he just really needed to take a leak and saw an opportunity. Like I said, I don't know much about modern art.

Update: My father, having heard about the story, offers the distinct possibility that the guy is "nuts" and "maybe needs to be put away somewhere."

1 comment:

Muslihoon said...

I've never understood modern art myself. I prefer something with more meaning and aesthetic value, like paintings and portraits and stuff. Although Dali's work is sometimes amusing.