Hi Naina!

This question strikes at the heart of the arbitrariness and
subjectivity of stylistic and temporal categorization in the
visual arts.

Most writings I'm acquainted with chose 1945 - wholly
arbitrarily - based on the end of the Second World War and
the supposed shift of the "international art capitol" from
Paris to New York.

(Art historians debate whether this shift of the
"international art capitol" really occurred . . . or seemed
to occur because of the mass destruction and disorder in
continental Europe.  The French, after all, not to mention
other European nations has artists of significance working
independently and in groups before, during and after World
War II.)

In my humble opinion, it seems more appropriate to designate
the early 1960s as the 'start' of the contemporary - if one
can even designate a 'start'.  After all, the contemporary
(Postmodern?) is seen as critical - either hostile rejection
or gentle parody - of Modernist values.  (Modernism is
regarded as the move toward "art for art's sake," and is
dated typically as the 1860s to the 1940s/1950s.)  The Pop
artists were the first to build a group aesthetic that
"caught on," attracting attention from the general public.
Warhol, Oldenburg and gang were not anarchical as had been
the members of the Futurists and Dada groups (just before
and during the First World War).

[For those around my age (late 20s and early 30s) who are
uninvolved with the art world, the term "contemporary" is
often confusing in reference to anything before their
births.  And even those who are in their early 40s were born
right around the time Warhol was screen printing his first
Marilyns, Jackies and Maos.]

My two cents.  I look forward to reading other responses to
this most fascinating question!  :-)

Best wishes, Sincerely,

Jay Heuman, Visitor & Volunteer Services Coordinator
Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68102
342-3300 (telephone)     342-2376 (fax)       www.joslyn.org



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Naina Mistry
> Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 11:01 am
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: "Contemporary Art" cutoff date
>
> What would you consider an appropriate cutoff date for
> defining "Contemporary Art"?  I checked the Web site of
the
> Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and their
collection
> dates to 1945.  Is that a standard, or is it somewhat
> loosely defined?  Any insight would be much appreciated.
> Thanks,
> Naina Mistry
> Freer/Sackler Galleries
> Smithsonian Institution

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).