Nicolas Bourriaud’s column: “We must save Art schools”

“Art is like Chinese, it can be learned. » Attributed to Pablo Picasso, this quote was intended to make those who think that the most important thing when looking at a work of art “is what we feel” think. What a mistake… Rather than acquiring the possibility of a point of view foreign to their own, they cultivate their prejudices ; instead of enriching themselves in a museum, they pour into it. But there are much worse enemies of art than these people: there are the regulators, whose activity consists of normalize everything that persists in escaping their worldmade of Excel data grids, organization charts to rationalize and pooling to accomplish.

In these times of economic crisis, there is a lot of talk about “plane blows” : but the very principle of the plane lies in a blind leveling, whereas any cultural policy consists of making choices based on a vision of its social role. But the permanent blow concerns less the cultural budget than its functioning. Artistic educationconsidered by many to be an almost scandalous luxury, seems to be in the crosshairs.