When we look at a work of contemporary art, perhaps a completely blank canvas or an installation made of ordinary objects, we often ask ourselves a question: is it really art? But who has the authority to decide what can be defined as such?
This question is at the heart of a debate that has been going on in the art world for decades and perhaps centuries, but which today, in the age of marketing and social media, is even more heated.
What then makes a work of art truly a work of art? A prestigious signature, the approval of a critic, commercial success or the emotion it arouses in the viewer?
Whereas in the past academies and critics had the final say, today the landscape is much more fragmented, with influences ranging from international markets to social media. In this post I explore the different forces at play – institutions, market, audience – and question who really has the power to define what is art.
