Paintings 1973

Editor: These are "Paintings" by Marcel Broodthaers, undated, mixed media. The nine panels present words and numbers in a delicate script. It's like a fragmented language lesson. How do you approach a work like this? Curator: Broodthaers often critiqued the art market and the commodification of art. Consider this work as a commentary on the value we assign to language and art. The words themselves – "style," "image," "chocolate" – become objects, divorced from their meaning. The grid format, along with the numbers, introduces a system, almost like a classification. What does that suggest to you? Editor: Maybe he’s highlighting the absurdity of trying to categorize something as fluid and subjective as art? Curator: Precisely. Broodthaers challenges the authority of institutions to define art. His use of language is both playful and critical, questioning the power structures inherent in the art world. And? Editor: So it’s not just about aesthetics, but about questioning the whole system. Thanks, this really opens up a new perspective.