Hugh M. Davies

As part of my dissertation research I have come across a book on installation art, with an introduction by Hugh M. Davies, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. It makes many ingenious points - chiefly that ambitious 3 dimensional art is actually a return to the first kind of art - cave paintings. He also says it is a travesty that while 2 d work sells, the bigger stuff struggles, but that is where the real experiments are taking place. Sorry painters! ;) I really recommend the book - 'Blurring The Boundaries'. Here's one of my favourite quotes: 'Whatever aesthetic bounty experimental artists bag rarely translates into trophy art to hang above the mantel that is likely to turn a tidy profit. "We got in on the Schnabel thing early, snagged a player piece for nothing before the Boone happened, Hung on until the Whitney begged for it, and then turned a tidy profit on the appreciation when the tax window opened. Julian's delighted and so are we. Nifty, this art business." As opposed to... "Gee honey, what would we ever want with an earthwork?, we don't even use the swimming pool."