Arts and Ethics: Overview
Arts and Ethics: Overview
- Iain RobertsonIain RobertsonIndependent Scholar
Summary
The art market has changed significantly since its modern inception in the Renaissance. It has grown into a global industry. There are a number of crucial concepts that have become points of disagreement and discussion: authentication, restitution, repatriation, the distinction between the work of art and the creator, and the moral rights of artists. Notions surrounding authenticity have changed significantly over time. By the 18th century, authorship became inseparable from value, whereas it carried less importance in earlier periods. The degree a work has been altered or restored is also key to ascertaining its authentication. The restitution of a work of art is distinct from its repatriation; restitution refers to individual claims most commonly asserted today with reference to the period of the National Socialist government in Germany. Attitudes toward trophies of war changed in the early 20th century, and repatriation is today a much more acceptable notion than it once was. Whether the impression or value of a work of art is affected by the misconduct or immoral nature of the creator or collector is a contentious issue. There are numerous examples of immoral artists, collectors, and dealers; but it is a different matter to attach their immorality to a work of art created, collected, or dealt by these protagonists. The moral right of artists does just that. It argues for the work of art to be considered an inalienable part of the creator, which suggest that the character of the artist is extended to include the work of art.
Subjects
- Religion and Art