Is destroying art unethical?

[Jabberwocky]

what about it?

I imagine you're referring to collectors of others' art and not the artist themselves. If so, then, as someone who isn't the collector, *I'd* definitely like them to donate to a museum, since I get jack shit outta them keeping it at home lol. I certainly don't feel that they "owe" me that.

Actually, whether the "hoarder" is a billionaire snatching up masterpieces, or the next michaelangelo who's decided NOT to share his work with the public, the principle is the same. The property <intellectual and tangible> doesn't become "public property" simply by virtue of it's esthetic merit.

(I don't want to come across the wrong way here, so I'll say that, were I in possession of some important piece, I would not even feel right hoarding it and would WANT it to be in the public sphere - but I'd be damned if I had to share it for reasons outside of my own volition and would fight to hoard it if that were the scenario)

 

[panic in paradise]

^i agree. and will ad how unfortunate it seems most civil ethics do not dictate much of any criminal law.

 

[Jabberwocky]

i'm unsure that i'm reading that accurately.. criminal law contains such things as unprovoked physical aggression, property damage/theft, etc, but unfortunately it contains a ton of other shit that's not inherently unethical (drugs, for instance).
if you mean that criminal law should contain more rules based on civil ethics, I'd say you're missing the point of one of the highest ethics, individual freedom. While it is easy enough to argue that hoarding culturally-important art is unethical, it's far more unethical to take their property from them by force.

 

[panic in paradise]

as you had put it: property <intellectual and tangible>, had me think of whether or not destroying art, or literature, should be an illegal act or not.

 

[Jabberwocky]

i mean, even w/o ethical/moral considerations, it's just impractical - if it's okay for some art, who says what is/is not ok to deface? Can you "improve" my car's paint job?

 

[panic in paradise]

i mean, even w/o ethical/moral considerations, it's just impractical - if it's okay for some art, who says what is/is not ok to deface? Can you "improve" my car's paint job?

IMO, yes.

but we would have to sign an agreement that you believe so too. as to avoid myself being sued by you and your houndog attorneys.

 

[BachIsDead]

 

[Jabberwocky]

Ai Weiwei seems like an asshole.
/was his beef with the han dynasty, or just trying to be edgy? i am confuse.

 

[BachIsDead]

It's generally read as a comment on Maoism (I can't remember the name of the style of clothing, but it is associated with the Cultural Revolution). Since the Cultural Revolution essentially became a total stagnation in art, everything reduced to cult of personality hagiography, the only artistic contribution is had was the new art form of destroying art.