Iakovos “Jake” and “Konstantinos” Dinos Chapman are two English visual artists, that go by the name of “the Chapman Brothers”.
As a main subject for their work, the brothers mostly use subjects that are thought of as offensive, distasteful or vulgar. Their art is oftentimes highly controversial and attention-grabbing.
Some examples: In 2008 the Chapman Brothers held an exhibition entitled “If Hitler had been a hippy, how happy would we be”. For this exhibition the brothers acquired a group of original watercolours that had been painted by Adolf Hitler himself. They then appropriated these works by painting bright psychedelic skies and smiley faces over them.
 |
| Watercolour painting by Adolf Hitler, appropiated by the Chapman Brothers. |
But perhaps the most controversial work the brothers have ever made, is a series from 2003, entitled “Insult to Injury”. For this series the brothers purchased a complete set of Goya’s etchings, “The Disasters of War”, and added comical grotesque faces to them.
 |
| Goya's "The Disasters of War", appropiated by the Chapman Brothers: "Insult to Injury", 2003 |
Although these works are held in high esteem by many, some see them as pure vandalism. Another point of interest is the actual sale of these works: establishing prices can be quite problematic, since buyers actually buy two works of art at the same time: a Goya and a Chapman. Is it an improved Goya or a nearly vandalized Goya?
No comments:
Post a Comment