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60 Minutes ponders Miami's Art Basel

March 29, 2012 9:20 AM

Morley Safer revisits the target of his 1993 story "Yes...But is it art?" And gets his answer: Whatever it is, it's worth a 1,000 times more than when you first mocked it. Watch Safer's report on Sunday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

60 Minutes ponders Miami's Art Basel
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by collagist April 9, 2012 12:50 PM EDT
Polarized Society: Responding to "The Art World" piece

Embedded in the commercialized ideological dazzle of ART/BASEL in general and postmodern art specifically is a serious reality that the art establihment would rather not acknowledge. It concerns the prophetic nature of postmodernism.

I hear frequently that our country is in a state of decline. We identify a national government that has become so polarized that it is unable to deal with the issues at hand...issues that if addressed could help reverse this slide. I see pragmatic approaches to problem solving challenged by ideology...where the search for and discovery of solutions are stymied by those who bring to the tables of discussion preconceived answers...claiming they know the absolute objective truth in advance. Thus, we face a political conundrum, where those parties charged to do the business of government are unable to reach compromise to address and solve the issues that are in the nation's interest.

When and how did this circumstance begin? Some point to the recent entry of ideology as an approach to government occurring at the turn of this century with the emergence of a "born-again" presidential mentality that fostered preconceived "gut" feelings in place of prgmatism (i.e. preemptive war) as the means for executive decision making; perhaps. However, I see the roots of this enigma going deeper...much deeper, at least half a century in time deeper.

Fifty years ago our national cultural appreciations began a dramatic shift. We went culturally from accepting a pragmatic approach to art creativity to one immersed in ideology...where those who create "art" believed that they possessed the absolute object truth and are endowed by the intellect of their free will to preconceive their creations. What we see appreciated and estemmed as great art today as exemplified at events like ART/BASEL (i.e. a line of urinals plastered to a wall, basket balls floating in a fish tank, cigarette butts crushed in an ashtray), are ideological conceived "art" relics of a decdent society.

This concept "idea" of manufactured art began nearly 50 years ago when the art establishment accepted Marcel Duchamp's theory of art as gospel to begin the postmodern era. At such time was introduced a national postmodern cultural conundrum, involvling a cultural appreciation for the art of ideology; an ideology where the creating artist knows the absolute objective truth in advance and believes he can draw upon his free will to preconceive art. What at the time was unseen with the emergence of this cultural ideological conundrum was the prophetic message it contained. It set the stage for a conundrum in the political arena that is far more devisive than could have been imagined. It was prophetic...that once society's cultural judgment turned to ideology as the true pathway to human creativity that some fifty years hence the business of government would invariably follow suit. (Ironically, in both these conundrum arenas it is but one percent of society that exerts influence and control.)

As an artist and a research analyst I have spent the last three years examining the theory behind postmodernism to unravel its cultural conundrum and prove it to be fiction. If only we can learn from the mistake of our cultural delusion, perhaps the new knowledge we garner can be applied to disprove the assumed worth of political ideology as well.

My report can be read on the NEW YORK ARTS MAGAZINE's web site at:

http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/catalogue-2011/the-paper-collagist-george-sakkal
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by nothingavailable April 3, 2012 11:43 PM EDT
Like religion, modern art is based on a lie, just because the deception is very effective and racks in the bucks, doesn't make it right.

Look at those buying modern art and the their investments.... :-) yeah right they know what they are doing ;-) and I have a bunch of bridges to sell you too.
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by collagist April 3, 2012 4:58 PM EDT
I did. Where is the comment I made earlier today? George Sakkal.
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by theartbrush April 2, 2012 12:11 PM EDT
In Fine Arts.I think a paintings value should reflect just how the buyer feels about that painting,and the work that the artist has put into it.Understood there are exceptions even in fine arts that a painting is of such quality that it is sold many times at large profit. The point being the artist is not going to have a good day every day. To buy a name and not the quality of the painting is wealth without taste. "All Art is not quality Art"
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by theartbrush April 2, 2012 12:09 PM EDT
In Fine Arts.I think a paintings value should reflect just how the buyer feels about that painting,and the work that the artist has put into it.Understood there are exceptions even in fine arts that a painting is of such quality that it is sold many times at large profit. The point being the artist is not going to have a good day every day. To buy a name and not the quality of the painting is wealth without taste. "All Art is not quality Art"
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by JedediahC April 2, 2012 9:46 AM EDT
The art market continues to rise exponentially. I was at this years Art Basel and found it overly decadent. But, there were a few artists trying to buck the increasingly closed system. I saw this RV selling art directly from the vehicle- it was refreshing and affordable for normal people like me. http://www.welcometocompany.com/free-shuttle-company-artv-during-miami-art-week
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by WB2LDJ March 31, 2012 1:47 AM EDT
As we have seen this week with a crazy airline Captain of Jet Blue, America is going nuts. You were right on in the 1980's and people were mentally handicaped when Picasso junk sold for a lot of money. Just like young criminals like to brag about their rap sheet for lack of anything virtuous, people with money can have the same thing going with art for shock and awe, later having it sustaned. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett know what to do with their money. GS
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by boogierag March 30, 2012 6:35 PM EDT
I too saw Morley on CBS this morning and am looking forward to Sunday.
Finally, someone said the Emperior is wearing no clothes.Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Someone said a mouthfull.
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by fmrgartlady March 30, 2012 1:02 PM EDT
Calling something art doesn't make it so. Most of this stuff is just shocking or "different" to get attention
and is on a par with reality TV, outrageous radio talk, and celebrity worship. Buying it is like buying super expensive athletic shoes or car elevators. It's an excessive show of wealth without accompanying knowledge or taste. I saw Morley on CBS this morning and look forward to Sunday's segment.
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