The Minimalist Allergy to Art
The Minimalist Allergy to Art

Summary/Abstract: In the 20th century, negation of art appeared frequently as an issue in avant-garde tendencies, assuming a different form in each case. In the present article, this phenomenon is considered as a type of artistic allergy. The author begins with a short description of the notion of anti-art, focusing on the work of Marcel Duchamp: among other characteristics, the author discusses the questioning of the significance of artifacts, the rejection of originality and the subversion of the role of formal procedures. The second half of the 20th century saw various continuations of Duchamp’s seditious actions; however, the work of the representatives of minimal art is not customarily situated in this context. Reflecting on the validity of this approach, the author subjects to analysis the selected works and theoretical essays by the principal minimalists (Donald Judd, Robert Morris, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin and Sol LeWitt). As it turns out, despite its typically objectivist and constructionist character, their work essentially negates the fundamental qualities ascribed to traditional works of art. Paradoxically, however, while performing anti-artistic actions, the representatives of this movement referred to their works as “art”. Considering this problem, the author suggests that minimalism ought to be viewed in the context of its successor, i.e. conceptual art, especially in the light of Joseph Kosuth’s opinions, formulated in his essay “Art after Philosophy”. Seen from this perspective, the minimalist project reveals its affinities not with anti-art but with the notion of art as an open concept. Thus, the aforementioned allergy is in fact recognized as pertaining to extant forms of art and is seen to suggest an infinite process of its redefinition.

• Details
• Contents