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Article
Expression as Vandalism: Asger Jorn’s Modifications
Res (2008)
  • Karen Kurczynski, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Abstract

Establishes the political and artistic context for Asger Jorn's Modifications, a series of détourned kitsch canvases begun in Cobra around 1950 but first realized on flea market paintings in 1959 with Enrico Baj. Considers the Situationist theorization of the works as a form of détournement in the context of the post war art world's recuperation of the avant-garde; the impact of Dada, Duchamp and Picabia on the series; and the broader context of Nouveau Réalisme and the concurrent but only tangentially related series of Modifications by Daniel Spoerri.

Keywords
  • Modifications,
  • Nouveau Réalisme,
  • New Realism,
  • Daniel Spoerri,
  • Situationist International,
  • détournement
Publication Date
Spring 2008
Citation Information
Karen Kurczynski. "Expression as Vandalism: Asger Jorn’s Modifications" Res Vol. 53/54 (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kkurczynski/3/