Art historian and critic Tina Rivers Ryan, Ph.D., discussed the evolution of contemporary art and its major themes during a Morning Forum of Los Altos appearance Jan. 18.
In her presentation – titled “What’s the Deal with Contemporary Art?” – Ryan, who serves as assistant curator at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y., addressed the heritage of art, considered a luxury item, over time, specifically from 1880 to the 1960s.
Contemporary art can have many aspects, according to Ryan: a three-dimensional visual ex-perience, an emphasis on being present with other people and interpersonal relationships.
She showed an example of a banana taped to a wall by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at Art Basel in Miami, Fla., in 2019. The work, in three editions, sold for $120,000 each. Although it is unmistakably a banana, on close reflection, she said, interpretations may include an artifactually adapted agricultural product or a reflection on South American politics.
Another work by Cattelan from 1999 showed the artist seemingly suspended in shards of paper. This piece, Ryan said, can be interpreted as a commentary on the role of galleries and critics in our lives and in contemporary art.
What is the role of art today? Ryan calls it a new language, one that sometimes requires a viewer’s time to interpret for themselves what the piece means. Contemporary art also may reflect political commentary in contemporary society. An example she presented was Andy Warhol’s 1962 painting of 100 soup cans, which influenced the pop art movement.
Other works of contemporary art introduced commentary on people’s relationship with others. For example, “700 Hours,” the work of Marina Abramovic that debuted at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2010 for three months, featured Abramovic sitting in a chair for 700 hours, with various people volunteering to spend time sitting across from her and simply staring at her. The message, Rivers said, is simply “being present.” One person who chose to participate burst into tears.
In another Abramovic piece, “Rest Energy,” from 1980, a man points a bow and arrow at a woman pressed against a wall. Ryan explained that this piece emphasized the responsibility and care people have toward one another.
The recent trend of NFT (nonfungible tokens) includes digital files that prior to purchase must be authenticated by the artist and therefore owned by the purchaser. One colorful piece, titled “The First 5000 Days” and not highly regarded by Ryan, recently sold for $69.3 million.
Illustrating a way of appreciating contemporary art, Ryan included a quote from Picasso: “I don’t read English, but this doesn’t mean the English language doesn’t exist.”
Ryan suggested that art is whatever you think it is. It is another language, filled with color, texture and often political commentary.
Morning Forum of Los Altos is a members-only lecture series held the first and third Tuesdays of the month. For the speaker lineup, membership details and more information, visit morningforum.com.
