The Disaster of Postmodern Art
A quote from my upcoming book, Pandora's Box and Other Essays. The quote was from my article originally published on October 8, 2001, less than a month after 9/11. Directly preceding it is the definition of civilization from the American Heritage Dictionary: “An advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society, marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions.”
It is obvious that Duchamp's Urinal is not part of any development by any standard, yet it was unanimously acclaimed as the most influential visual art work of the 20th century. Let that sink in, I'll wait ...