On Art 'Vandalism' and Civil Resistance in Museums

Destruction, Degradation, Artistic and Political Interventions since 1970
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-94216-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 248 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: CRESC

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.

Zielgruppe

Academic, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bessette, Anne

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Populärkultur
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Freizeitsoziologie, Konsumsoziologie, Alltagssoziologie, Populärkultur
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstformen, Kunsthandwerk
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Kriminalsoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunst, allgemein Restaurierung, Konservierung
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunst, allgemein Kunstsammlung, Museen, Ausstellungen
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Mediensoziologie
• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Kriminologie, Strafverfolgung

Inhaltsverzeichnis

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

Über Autor(innen)

Anne Bessette is a PhD in Sociology and is an Associate Researcher at Cerlis (Centre de Recherche sur les Liens Sociaux) in Paris. Her research has focused on the relationship between publics and arts in the context of cultural institutions, particularly museums. Her current research extends these questions through the analysis of ecological civil resistance in museums and furthermore, through the study of the positions and actions of museums in relation to environmental issues. In addition to the publication of several scientific articles, she co-edited a book titled À la Recherche du Musée: Réflexions Croisées en Histoire de l'art, Muséologie et Sociologie (2023).