MEDIA RELEASE PR35303
Artist Plans to Destroy Rodin's Masterpiece "The Kiss"
PARIS, July 6 /Medianet International-AsiaNet/ --
Briton Herman Bean, contemporary artist and art professor has put the Musée Rodin in Paris
on notice, releasing a statement that claims he plans to destroy one of Rodin's classical
sculptures "La Baisee" with a sledgehammer and is inviting important figures in the art world to
partake.
Professor Bean is part of a new contemporary art movement called "New Imaginism" to be
launched later this year. The form eschews the reliance on the physical representation of
established artwork and he has vowed to create "better, more intimate, more real art" that people
will cherish forever in their hearts and minds, rather than art/craft which can easily be reproduced
in factories in Asia.
On becoming "incredibly depressed" at seeing this great work "lonely and unloved in the garden
of the Musée Rodin" on a cold winters day, Bean made his decision to turn "The Kiss" into rubble.
Bean said: "Creation is destruction" when questioned about his intentions. "Like the experience
of the death of a loved one, we only realise what we have lost when it's gone. Once "The Kiss" is
smashed into thousands of pieces and is destroyed - we will love and appreciate it, and art as a
form, even more. As a symbolic archetype of forbidden love, it should not be forgotten in an old,
cold French garden.
With the pain and passions inflamed around its destruction, I aim to burn the aesthetic beauty
and memory of this work into our collective imagination forever."
Artists before Bean have destroyed or defaced other artist's works and objects. Most recently,
contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan has slowly and excruciatingly destroyed new cars with
large rocks in public performances. Events of this scale are often staged to make a significant
impact with the audience, both present to witness the destruction, as well as for those who
experience art through mass media.
The destruction of "The Kiss" is part of a series of "artworks" called the "Making Art History"
series that will launch the New Imaginist art movement later in the year. Although the official VIP
launch is off limits to the public, there are a few invitations still available for the Special Preview at
contact Anthony Fawcett on +44 8715 033 661
SOURCE: New Imaginism
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