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The transformation of conventions for artistic quality
[La transformation des conventions de qualité artistique]

Author

Listed:
  • Christian Bessy

    (IDHES - Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l'Économie et de la Société - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - UP8 - Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - UEVE - Université d'Évry-Val-d'Essonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - ENS Paris Saclay - Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay)

Abstract

From the earliest years of its existence in France, the public commissioning scheme known as the 1% artistic contribution (to the cost of construction of public buildings) has been the subject of much criticism, fueling controversy surrounding contemporary art and the denunciation of avant-garde academicism. This paper departs from this critical sociology of cultural policy, based on the hypothesis of a plurality of conventions for evaluating the quality of 1% artworks. By taking a historical perspective (1951-2022), the analysis of artistic quality conventions provides a privileged vantage point from which to observe changes in the aims of this regulatory mechanism and the criticisms to which it is subjected. The text begins by characterizing each of the three periods distinguished with reference to a dominant quality convention supported by a certain type of ‘market intermediary'. In the fourth part, it offers a summary, showing the specific nature of each of these conventions, according to different characteristics, as well as their interrelationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Bessy, 2025. "The transformation of conventions for artistic quality [La transformation des conventions de qualité artistique]," Working Papers halshs-04897355, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-04897355
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04897355v1
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