Can We Separate the Art from the Artist?
History is rife with artists who created inspiring work, but were considered questionable characters at best, and despicable at worst. Caravaggio, the renowned 16th-century Italian painter, was also known as a notorious criminal and a murderer. Immediately after the death of Klaus Kinski, one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, his daughter revealed that for years he had sexually abused her. In the 21st century, when egregious behavior has come to be more closely scrutinized, talented artists and crafty gatekeepers, such as Roman Polanski, Harvey Weinstein, and Kanye West, have not been spared from public condemnation. In these times, when creative people have been “canceled” or criticized for an assortment of reasons, is it ever truly possible to separate the art from the artist?
This event is co-sponsored by the Free Speech Project (Georgetown University) and the Future of the Humanities Project (Georgetown University and Blackfriars Hall and Campion Hall, Oxford).
Featured:
Dennis de Caires, painter in London, director of Brighton Storeroom art gallery in Barbados.
Constance Grady, senior correspondent, Vox.
Estelle Thompson, British abstract painter, professor of fine art, Slade School, University College London.
Mary Beth Willard, author, “Why It’s OK to Enjoy the Work of Immoral Artists.”
Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford.
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), director, Free Speech Project, Georgetown University.