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Julia Hirschberg

THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST-CURATOR

Resulting from the conceptual dematerialization of art at the contemporary turn, artists and curators as well as many other art world professionals and scholars have become concerned with issues of authorship between artistic and curatorial roles. The variance of opinions in resulting debates have revealed that, in some cases, individuals’ oeuvres cannot be solely defined through artistic or curatorial frames. In my thesis, I express a critical attitude towards traditionally defined artistic roles and advocate for an interdisciplinary consideration of individuals whose oeuvres encompass both artistic and curatorial activities. These individuals are examples of what I call the “artist-curator.” Examining James Whistler, Marcel Duchamp, and Fred Wilson as case studies reveals the historical development of the artist- curator from understanding the exhibition space as an important contextual frame for art to the conceptualization of the exhibition space as an artistic medium. With an interdisciplinary approach to content and context, the artist- curator has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of artistic innovation. 

 

Sector B: Art and Culture of Seeing | Advised by: Jamie Diamond (FNAR) | André Dombrowski (ARTH)