This Is Modern Art / 6 of 6 / The Shock of the Now / 1999

This Is Modern Art was a six-part TV series written and presented by the English art critic Matthew Collings. It was broadcast in 1999 on Channel 4.
Ep.6 is an exploration of the authenticity of modern art and the media hype that often surrounds it, asking if it can be accused of repeating the art of the past.

[@brianthesnail3815]

Great series. Just watched all six back to back non stop and I learned a lot. The presenter added a lot to my understanding. Thanks for uploading.

[@johnmackenzie3030]

Brilliant series. He is wonderfully watchable, is Mathew Collings, as is the timbre of his voice

[@Nshan94]

Watching this in 2020, nearly 21 years after broadcasting. Cool to see some of the cultural shifts since then and some of these arists he talks to still around 20 years later. I saw a sarah lucas show at the hammer museum just this past year. A great show and Marhew Colings (the host/art critic of this show) has another really good series called " The rules of abstraction" on BBC. highly recomend

[@Nshan94]

@Joel Winter well the Internet revolution for one and how it coincides with access to personal representation as an artist.

[@wtc-d5s]

Reading your comment in 2021 nearly 1 year later, I haven't really got much to say

[@amp9930]

Reading your comment in 2022 nearly one year later. I have plenty to say, but I'm not going to say it here.

[@Nshan94]

@@amp9930 haha you've piqued my interest

[@michellerichards8841]

Great series. I really enjoyed it

[@darnsmall]

Thanks for posting this...haven't seen this series in years

[@jayumble8390]

Incredible series! Bravo Iva Polissky!!!

[@cleof1503]

thank you for posting this series .. I enjoyed it

[@nbeesley6409]

Jeff Koons, much like his art, makes my skin crawl. He gives Damien Hirst a run for his money as a conman.

[@lifeanddecay]

Care to elaborate?

[@nbeesley6409]

lifeanddecay Just personal taste I suppose. I've always felt like art should provide an escape from popular culture, not imitate it. I suppose we have Warhol to thank for that.

[@fabrizio483]

To me, Koons' art is a mirror to the cheapness of modern life, which is the reason why I don't like it. Sort of a modern Warhol, with the difference that Warhol was tackling the subject 50 years ago and Koons is doing it today. Funny how I don't like Warhol's work, but I consider him a great artist.

[@cameronkrause4712]

tracy emins beats them all in that department

[@SoSo-li6dn]

correction... con artist.

[@TheBigjim1970]

nicely presented

[@jackbailey7037]

“It’s hard to avoid the lingering feeling that maybe . . modern art came to an end some time in the 80s and is now only lingering on . . artificially.”

[@TorontoFilmBoard]

Thanks for uploading the set. I Really enjoyed them.

[@reddiver7293]

Many people intensely dislike Koon's work. I am one of them. But I respect his tenacity and success.

[@patrickrainey305]

this video is art.

[@GoldGauntletComix]

30:20 that painting is trippy

[@TomFynn]

Thanks for the upload!

[@blackcountrywalker]

you couldn't make this programe now, because I don't hear about any cutting edge artists that stand out from the crowd.

[@TheMysteryMachine]

Matthew Collings sideburns. That was my favorite part.

[@larryphillipsjr.1607]

The Mystery Machine 😂

[@garymingy8671]

Elvis had left the building

[@rossman2007]

At the start, what is the performance art featuring the clown?

[@wids]

Clown Torture

[@pedroortiz1385]

Dali was ,is and will always be a genius .

[@Naokfreek]

Really good, all of them, with some Mills to end it all.

[@perttiheinikko3780]

When people are willing to pay millions for the works of art from a mediocre dork like Jeff Koons you know that the end is nigh for Western civilization! But the series is really good, and it's fun to notice that the "ironical" style seems somehow old school these days.

[@SoSo-li6dn]

You try and do that.

[@JAN111MIKSIK]

Does anyone know the music list? At the end they write only "Fridge-music title."

[@ferguscullen8451]

"Cheap Thrills", F. Zappa, was there.

[@amp9930]

Cassette by Fridge

[@ArchibaltFingers]

sad put true the role of an artist will never be free from those factors

[@art-pw5us]

its Myra Hindley and the artist is Marcus Harvey

[@Doomedcreatures]

how London was changed in 20 years

[@taylorj6177]

whatsitlike now?

[@numai1a]

Well, I can only take the statement that Koon's room is like The Sixtine Chapel as an irony.

[@taylorj6177]

YES...

[@AnotherLisa]

yeah... i like intro music toooo......

[@amp9930]

I can try to answer one question Matthew asks. "Why has painting not died?" The answer....perhaps ....is we've always painted as a species. Starting with using our hands to make marks in caves. There is no reason to stop now or any time. It's part of us.

[@charlykyoryu4566]

Or... How modern Art created the notion of Kitch (...) and the practice of Institutionalised Fakery !

[@jonkalgor]

I am interested. What is the non-fakery? Can you give some examples?

[@larryphillipsjr.1607]

charly kyoryu 😂

[@lisengel2498]

I love the series but I do wonder why art just can have many faces and. Why an educated taste should automatically be better than an uneducated taste. I do believe that human being will continue to share experiences that they find interesting, deeply significant and that it like all things human beings do can be uplifting, filled with love of life or it can Focus on problems and all kinds of suffering. But maybe the thing that will continue to make art eternal is our dreams, our longing, our hope to share the the wonders of the known and not known multidimentionalities of experience.

[@rob16248]

26:44

[@ryanh206]

"really stare-able at"

[@brankomiokovic6075]

To talk about the Modern Art and not mention Kandinsky is absurd.

[@brankomiokovic6075]

But if he was an Englishman it would be a different story

[@albinobeach]

Episode 1

[@polyethylene6773]

If you want to denigrate the genius of Dali carefully avoid showing his paintings. “This grandiose tragedy that we call modern art.” Salvador Dali “Begin by learning to draw and paint like the old masters. After that, you can do as you like; everyone will respect you.” S.D. Read about all that in my book “Modern Art a Portrait of Mediocrity,” 250 informative pages and only $3 on Amazon.

[@larryphillipsjr.1607]

Poly Ethylene I liked the slashing of an eyeball the the razor. Now that was shock Art!😲

[@abc8722]

This didn't denigrate Dali, and hard pass on your book.

[@wtc-d5s]

I hated the episode on Shit but after watching the episode on 'Nothing' it seemed relatively good.

[@Malik_H8745]

Luigi Colani should be included

[@sevilfekri7602]

2016

[@AntiChrista4WPeace]

Fucking brilliant---✈ Shar'D---✈ Facebook, FlowerFor WorldPeace.

[@chrisdurrill9563]

As interesting as all of this is, it seems that the "Art World" is only interested in making art for artists since say, the last gasp of the 19th century.

[@reddiver7293]

Chris, I don't understand your statement. Can you elaborate with specifics?

[@jennyh5641]

Whoever made the soundtrack to this documentary should make music to torture confessions out of prisoners. It's completely grating and maddening. And Bruce Nauman's yelling is enough to drive anyone insane. At the end of the day, much of modern / contemporary art is garbage and this documentary's soundtrack is a reflection of that. Yick!

[@shaunclark425]

ATUALLY THE SOUNDTRACK IS GREAT... CLEARLY YOUR NOT A MUSIC LOVER ... YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT NAUMAN.. BUT THE EMPORERS IS NAKED IN MOST MODERN (SO CALLED 'HIGH BROW') ART ....

[@garymingy8671]

Turn off the sound , try some zep

[@rossman2007]

bruce nauman clown torture

[@jn2050]

i think what she's saying that its all a bitt pretentious.

[@artistinstinct]

A PAINTING IS NOT A LITERAL SIGN!

[@oaksoldier45]

lets not forget graffiti. ??? .and hollowood and video games gobbling up all the actuall "real" contemporary Artists that do concept design for those industries...

[@larryphillipsjr.1607]

Melvin Mell good point. 🤔

[@numai1a]

There is more art in video games than in most of the galleries.

[@shaunclark425]

SO TRUE...ALONG WITH GRAPHIC NOVELS, HOLLYWOOD AND THE LIKES FOUND IN THE BETTER CONTENT OF JUXTAPOZ...

[@shaunclark425]

SO SO TRUE LOERRNA..

[@awm6598]

Great point Melvin!

[@TheArtfryne]

judicious use of plastikman's hypokondriak

[@wtc-d5s]

I always thought Dali was a Wanker. It turns out he really was.

[@evgani]

SÜÜÜPPPPEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[@davidmayhew4818]

What was new is now old. The Tate never became "white". And now has a huge new addition. But everybody knows that! It's old news.

[@timothylee6859]

Why do the english come up with such good music and there visual art sucks. Even banksy turned out to be a fraud.

[@larryphillipsjr.1607]

Timothy Lee 😂

[@adrianmcnamara2950]

walkwalkwalk .Please do a silly walk every now and then.

[@Carlux777]

Hamparte

[@kareymaurice3236]

I often wonder has anyone ever stop to think about how a person of color feels about watching white people live/work/play/make art all the time? We're never offered an alternative to it!

[@JaniquaMKelley]

Karey Maurice Exactly, I'm only watching this because it's an assignment for my art history class smh

[@kareymaurice3236]

Art history goes round & round talking about the same old people coming from different mouths. What's new? I studied it backwards so I could try to feel relevant but No LUCK!

[@hholmes6068]

Karey Maurice failry sure there are black (and other people 'of colour') artists and art commentators/critics....I'm not sure what your saying here...not enough perhaps?

[@gavinreid8351]

How bizarre. Are you suggesting that' people of Colour' do not create art. You have no idea.

[@thumbprint7150]

Karey Maurice: I was wondering what happened to Yinka Shonibare who came to prominence in the 90s in Britain and has gone from strength to strength. No mention of Louise Bourgeois who was possibly the most influential artist of the latter part of the 20th century. There were such huge gap; I guess it is simply not possible to fit everyone in. But it did on the whole feel white male.

[@superscienceshow]

modern art is the homeopathy of Dali. one millionth part Dali and dilute with water.

[@bluefish4580]

A lot of massive ego’s with business brains

[@jamesanonymous2343]

cut the bullshit Collings, it's not all that complicated, Shock of the "Never Was", means Return to sender, get a regular job,

[@johnsanchez6827]

Rubbish every day,...come on. Man was a genius. full stop. All today's stuff is rubbish.

[@KEPHALLE]

a lot of verbal crap both from the "artists" and the presenter.

[@ArchibaltFingers]

i can prove to you why jeff koons 'puppy' is better than the statue of liberty but forget it,it dosn't make sence,you wont understand

[@lee099000]

I should get a prize for watching all 6 series, every single one of them is just total crap