Kunstmuseum Bonn

(25 July 2009)

Before photography, committing an image to canvas was the only way to guard it against the erosive effects of repeated recall. The invention of photography has raised the bar for the painter by requiring that the painting be not only well-executed, but also false in a manner appreciated by many. Modern failures are exhibited at the Kunstmuseum because they encourage art today for the sake of breakthroughs tomorrow at the price of rewarding mediocrity today, and because they contain a lesson.

The paintings' ugliness calls one's attention to the fortuitous nature of the man-made beauty, displayed and often taken for granted elsewhere. By regressing several steps in their artistic development, the artists question the path that the beauty has taken towards its contemporary form. Even when the finishing touches are grazed just a little, the works incite creativity in the viewer.

The displayed works aim to baffle, not please or enlighten. The bafflement shifts the burden of creativity on the viewer, thereby betraying an artist who has nothing to say.