Meanwhile Richard Serra’s ‘Tilted Arc’, a large block of free-standing steel, lasted eight years on Federal Plaza New York before being removed as an eyesore.Īrtists, of course, frequently destroy their own work, usually in an attempt at quality control. Rachel Whiteread’s ‘House’, a disused terraced house filled in with concrete, was removed less than a year after its completion at the insistence of the local council. Public taste can be even more difficult to gauge. She allegedly destroyed several Sickert works in her research process and still failed to discover any linking forensic evidence. One recent example involves the American pulp crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, who spent over two million pounds buying dozens of works by Victorian British artist Walter Sickert in an attempt to harvest DNA evidence linking him to the Jack the Ripper murders. Finally, with the original a mere ghost on the page, he signed it with his own name, in the process making an undeniable statement about his own intentions towards the preceding generation.įortunately, examples of artists destroying the works of their contemporaries are rare. He then spent several days applying elbow grease to the challenge of rubbing it out completely. He got hold of a de Kooning sketch, intentionally choosing a graphic piece drawn in thick dark lines. Rauschenberg was a generation younger, and an aspiring artist loosely associated with Pop Art who wanted to rebel against the older artist. Willem de Kooning had achieved notoriety in the abstract expressionist movement. One particularly famous act of art destruction occurred in 1953, when artist Robert Rauschenberg completed his ‘Erased de Kooning’. I cannot speak about the future.Intentional art vandalism forms its own distinct category in art-binning. "As a historian, I can speak about the past. It could also be in the collection of a fan of Sir Winston Churchill," Prévost speculated. "I don't know if the Château Laurier will receive a call asking $5 million for the portrait. Prévost, meanwhile, wonders how the story will end. "It was a very uncertain time in Canada, the United States and the world, and I think the portrait shows determination and strength. But it's The Roaring Lion photograph that has become world famous," Fielder said. "Then said, 'You may take one more.' And then he was smiling and looked very benign. To make the most of the shot, Karsh pulled the cigar from Churchill's lips and caught him glowering as a result. Churchill didn't want his picture taken, but permitted Karsh one photograph. Part of the appeal might be the story behind the photo shoot. The space the photo of Winston Churchill was is now occupied by a note from the hotel. He took pictures of 14,312 people in his career, according to Fielder, who says this portrait of Churchill launched him onto the international stage.įielder said the picture, known as The Roaring Lion, changed Karsh's life and has a lasting legacy - it's still the picture on the Bank of England's £5 note. Karsh, originally from Armenia, made Ottawa his home from 1924 until the 1990s. The hotel is incredibly proud to house this stunning Karsh collection, which was securely installed in 1998," the statement said. "We are deeply saddened by this brazen act. The remaining five have now been removed from the lounge until they can be better secured, according to a statement from the Fairmont hotel. The hotel said it has 15 original works by the photographer, six of which, including the Churchill portrait, were hanging in the lounge. Karsh had a long connection to the hotel. He and his first wife lived there for 18 years, and his studio was housed in the building until 1992, Prévost said. And one of the most valuable portraits of your collection is stolen." Karsh's history with the Château Laurier "Famous hotel, and you have the security. "It's like a movie," Prévost said of the situation. Michel Prévost, president of La Société d'histoire de l'Outaouais, said he didn't know how much the portrait was worth, but that no prints of Karsh's work have been allowed since his negatives were given to Library and Archives Canada in the 1990s. "I would like to give it back, but I don't think that's going to happen." Removing the original and replacing it "was obviously thought out and planned," Fielder said. Portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh is shown at his Ottawa studio with an exposure he created of Queen Elizabeth in this Dec., 21, 1988 photo.
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