There is another reason to destroy work - too bloody much. By a strange coincidence the day before I read this I went through all my art school life drawings of the 1980’s and ‘90’s and decided that only one in five would be spared, those that show some spark of life while tearing up the routine and failed. But the main reason is I’m getting old. I don’t want to give my son the sad task of sorting through my work when I am gone. I am trying to make it easier for him. Figure work is no longer a main part of my output, these belong to my past. Let them go.
I agree. I have reached a stage when I want to reduce the burden to my wife. I need to decide what should survive rather than taxing the estate. Realistically speaking, unless you are a famous and wealthy artist, your estate will not be able to preserve an unwieldy body of work, one that is expensive to store and insure.
Yes, I should have mentioned that he destroyed a bust of Picasso - probably because it got rave responses and he was concerned it would become an icon. The problem is that people find it hard to SEE icons because of their fame.
There is another reason to destroy work - too bloody much. By a strange coincidence the day before I read this I went through all my art school life drawings of the 1980’s and ‘90’s and decided that only one in five would be spared, those that show some spark of life while tearing up the routine and failed. But the main reason is I’m getting old. I don’t want to give my son the sad task of sorting through my work when I am gone. I am trying to make it easier for him. Figure work is no longer a main part of my output, these belong to my past. Let them go.
I agree. I have reached a stage when I want to reduce the burden to my wife. I need to decide what should survive rather than taxing the estate. Realistically speaking, unless you are a famous and wealthy artist, your estate will not be able to preserve an unwieldy body of work, one that is expensive to store and insure.
Giacometti was also known for frequently destroying his works.
Yes, I should have mentioned that he destroyed a bust of Picasso - probably because it got rave responses and he was concerned it would become an icon. The problem is that people find it hard to SEE icons because of their fame.
I seem to remember Sartre saying he witnessed him destroy a piece because it was 'perfect'