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Re: duchamp picabia and man ray at the tate modern

From:     
Category: Art
Date:     28 April 2008
Time:     04:10 PM

Review:

I made the mistake of reading some feminist texts before venturing in to this show, hardly the reading 
material to encourage my appreciation of this macho mix. I find it astonishing that in the comments on 
the wall there is not even a mention of the sexism that pervades this show. There is not even the 
tiniest criticism of the endless objectification of women and what that meant at that time. I know that 
there is no escaping sexism in art history, as in history itself, but given that the comments mention 
visits to prostitutes etc. this education the tate gives us accepts all. If things had changed enough - if 
our attitudes to women had changed significantly - the tate would find it necessary to explain the odd 
approach to these other human beings/women as seen in the lives of these artists and their art. In fact 
they remind me of footballers all having sex with the same woman together, and as with them one 
wonders why they, in their self love, don't just cut out the middle (wo)man. The fact is we haven't 
changed much, we all see, whether we like it or not, through their white male eyes and no explanation 
is needed.


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