week 8 - Marine G - The Rothko vandal

Vladimir Umanets: the Rothko vandal. 

In October 2012, the artist Vladimir Umanets enters in the National Gallery of London and tagged on a Rothko’s painting (Black on Maroon, 1958): “VLADIMIR UMANETS '12, A POTENTIAL PIECE OF YELLOWISM”. The Yellowism is a contemporary artistic movement which says it makes no-art, and Vladimir Umanets is a Yellowism’s pioneer. But, doing that, this artist claims a creative opinion and an artistic act. So, he considered that his tag on a painting by an other artist is a master piece. But, for authorities, museum, law and public opinion, it’s more vandalism than art! So, V. Umanets had been arrested thanks to a list of nouns and phone numbers on the Yellowism web site. During his court, he pled not guilty because he considered that "the value (of the Rohtko painting) will go higher because of what (he) did”. We can understand artist’s wishes actually to divert them from classical kinds of artistic expressions but, what will happen if each one allows himself use pieces of art by other artists to create their own art piece?

176 words 

More informations :

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/10/vladimir-umanets-arrested_n_1950801.html