Richard Blot – The Arts in New York City

1. Do you think if the firm paid attention to the Hahns, the art world would be different?
2. Do you believe that if a re-trial happened in the U.S., the outcomes would be different?
3. What 3 things did Duveen say that Berenson would bring him?

-Elen

1) Simply, what was the reasoning for Berenson’s great ability to authenticate paintings?
2) In a world where buying and selling art is a business, was the authentication of the Da Vinci painting more for “dispute over price?”
3) Suppose a Da Vinci painting was wrongfully authenticated and the one hanging in The Louvre is a fake. For decades it was admired and sold for millions. Then is was reevaluated and discovered it was a fake. Would it and should it suddenly be worthless and tossed aside, or still be praised and priceless as it previously was? What are some factors of making a decision like this?

1. Duveen wanted to work with Berenson because, “Duveen knew that Berenson would bring him three things that he needed: accuracy in attributions, authority with American collectors, and shrewdness in the Italian market, which was mayhem.” Why did Duveen want these things, and why was he unable to get these things by himself?

2. The 1919 lawsuit against Duveen and Berenson was originally held in Paris, and the jury decided that the Hahns’ piece was in fact a fraud, and the one in the Louvre was real. The Hahns were described as “outsiders” in the European community (they were from Kansas), and they felt that they would have a more fair trial in New York. They had another trial in 1929, in which Duveen settled for $60,000 to avoid a re-trial. The European community trusted Berenson’s expertise, but the American community did not. What does this say about the different values of American and European culture regarding art, and who has the final and thereofore “correct” say?

1. In “The Aesthetic Attitude,” Stolnitz notes that we most often experience practical perception (that is, considering an objects use or effects) rather than aesthetic perception. What is it about art that makes us turn our attention away from practicality and more towards aesthetics? If one were to consider art in a practically perceptive way, what would its uses or effects be?
2. Stolnitz says that prejudices can get in the way of aesthetic perception, and that we must perceive art “on its own terms.” Do you think some artists seek to make people consider their own prejudices when they are experiencing the artwork? Can art be used to challenge or create prejudice?

-Lucas Iannucci