‘Art Under Attack,’ at Tate Britain, Explores Motives of Vandalism
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Tom Rachman
UNITED KINGDOM---Galleries generally prefer not to discuss attacks on artworks for fear of provoking more of them. Besides, some reason, what is there to gain by dwelling on vandalism? Surely, these crimes are the antithesis of art — the culprits must be brutish or deranged. But a new exhibition opening on Wednesday at Tate Britain makes a forceful counterclaim: that certain assaults contain meaning and even insights into history and art. To advance that argument, “Art Under Attack: Histories of British Iconoclasm,” which runs through Jan. 5, presents butchered paintings, decapitated sculptures and other damaged works in a survey of centuries of art vandalism. [link]
By Tom Rachman
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| “Dead Christ,” damaged in the 16th century. |