Full Description
Examining modern art vandalism across Europe and North America from 1970 to 2020, this book offers the first comprehensive sociological analysis of this phenomenon.
Drawing on perspectives from directors, curators, security personnel, legal experts, artists and — uniquely — the vandals themselves, Bessette unravels the complex dynamics of intentional art damage within museum spaces. The study reconceptualizes art vandalism as a form of artistic expression and museums as sites of social contestation by providing insights into the motivations, reactions and institutional responses surrounding art vandalism.
In doing so, the book illuminates how vandalism challenges traditional notions of art preservation, institutional authority and cultural value. This enhanced English edition features an additional chapter exploring recent ecological civil resistance actions in museums (2022-2024), providing timely insights into evolving forms of art intervention. An essential reading for students and scholars in art history, museum studies, sociology, cultural politics and criminology.
Contents
Introduction
PART ONE: ART VANDALISM
1. Targeted Artworks, Modus Operandi, and Profiles of Art "Vandals"
2. Artistic Vandalism
3. Vandalism as Political, Social, or Personal Claim
4. Psychopathological Vandalism
5. Vandalism in Reaction to What is Figuratively Represented in an Artwork
6. Vandalism as Aesthetic or Institutional Criticism
7. Micro-Vandalism
PART TWO: REPRESENTATIONS AND REACTIONS
8. Differential Management of Art Vandalism
9. Reactions from the Art and Museum Worlds
10. Symbolic Damage
11. Vandalism as a Strategy to Seize Attention
12. Artworks, Museums: A Double Profanation
PART THREE: ARTISTIC VANDALISM
13. Circumstances Surrounding the Emergence of Artistic Vandalism
14. Precursors of Artistic Vandalism and Related Forms
15. Out-of-Bounds Artistic Proposals
16. Playing with the Rules and Edges of an Artistic Field
PART FOUR: ECOLOGICAL CIVIL RESISTANCE IN MUSEUMS (2022-2024)
17. On Environmental Activism in Museums
18. On the Choice of Museums for Ecological Civil Resistance Actions: An Attempt to Highlight Ecological Issues... and to Engage the Museum Community
19. Exploring Synergies Between Museums and Ecological Civil Resistance Collectives
20. On Global Repression and Stigmatization of Climate Civil Resistance
Conclusion
