Topic for August 2nd - Pensioner attacks famous work of art

[Soleh]

An angry 77-year-old art hater has been arrested in Paris for hitting a valuable work of art with a hammer. Pierre Pinoncelli smashed several holes in Marcel Duchamp's famous white porcelain toilet, titled Fountain. The art work is an upside-down men’s urinal and is worth over US$3 million. The pensioner has a history of attacking the toilet. In 1993 he peed in it, before trying to break it. He stated that by urinating over the work of art, he was changing it back to a toilet, which meant it was no longer art. He said his latest attack was a “charitable act” rather than an act of vandalism.

Museum staff said the 1917 work could be restored to its former glory. Fountain was recently voted the most influential modern artwork of all time by 500 leading art experts. It beat Picasso’s Guernica and Andy Warhol’s prints of Marilyn Monroe to the top spot. Duchamp shocked the art world in 1917 when he entered his upside-down urinal at an exhibition of modern art in New York. He signed it ‘R. Mutt’, which sounds like armut – the German word for poverty. Critics rejected it as an example of bad taste. Regardless, Duchamp went on to become a leading figure in the world of modern art.

1. What do you think of the idea of an upside-down toilet being worth three million dollars?

2. Do you think the world has gone crazy when people pay huge sums of money for old toilets 

   while people in Africa starve?

3. What is the most ridiculous piece of art you’ve ever seen?

4.  Who is your favorit artist and why?

* Marcel Duchamp 마르셀 뒤샹(1887~1968)

  Pablo Picasso(1881~1973)와 뒤샹은 동시대 사람인데, 피카소가 훨씬 대중에게 친숙하죠.

  그러나 미술계에서는 현대미술의 시작을 뒤샹이라고 표현할 정도로 저명한 인물입니다.

  이 기회에 알다두시면 좋을 것 같아요.

 이번주 토픽이 예술이라 좀 무거울 수도 있겠네요. 부디 가볍게 생각해 주시고 즐거운 시간 되세요!

  Have Fun!!!!~~

Marcel Duchamp's Fountain

Piccao's Guernica

Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe

[Leo(DongHa)]

beautiful topic~!

[Soleh]

I hope you have a good time with art this Saturday^^

[Bella]

Whow! I love this topic, and the above leading writing is very informative. Thank you dear... but I'm sorry that I can't enjoy with it cz I have to leave Seoul for my summer vacation. Hope other members enjoy it a lot.

[Soleh]

Did you have fun!! I really really wanted to go there, but I had already an appointment. Um~~~What a shame!!!!!