In the late 1970s, artists such as
Dara Birnbaum,
Jack Goldstein, Barbara Kruger,
Louise Lawler,
Sherrie Levine, Robert Longo,
Richard Prince and
Cindy Sherman began reproducing images from advertising and film. This group of artists is now known as the Pictures Generation, in reference to the Pictures exhibition and to Douglas Crimp's eponymous essay. The critic asserted that these artists' approach, based on copying, put an end to the race for originality that had fueled art until then. The Pictures Generation thus emerged as an alternative to expressivity, even though it replicated images that aimed to affect, fascinate, or provoke desire.
At that time, society was fascinated by mass-media images. Advertising was criticized for its tendency towards psychological manipulation, feminist theories dissected representations of women in Hollywood, and the counter-culture hijacked norms and stereotypes. Amidst reflexive questions about the practice of art and the social concerns of the time, the Pictures Generation invented an attitude to manipulate passions.
François Aubart has a PhD in aesthetics and is an independent curator, art critic, and publisher. He teaches theory and art history at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts de Paris-Cergy. He is the co-founder of the publishing house Même pas l'hiver.
