1. Appropriation in art

2. Appropriation refers to the act of borrowing or reusing existing elements within a new work. Post-modern appropriation artists, including Barbara Kruger, are keen to deny the notion of ‘originality’. They believe that in borrowing existing imagery or elements of imagery, they are re-contextualizing or appropriating the original imagery, allowing the viewer to renegotiate the meaning of the original in a different, more relevant, or more current context.

3. Barbara Kruger

4. While appropriation in art has been around for ages, it began to gain popularity in the 20th century. Most notably with “Dada” artists like Marcel Duchamp, who championed the art of the “ready mades”. Andy Warhol continued the tradition of appropriation, but the times were changing, and borrowing images to create new ones became more controversial with the onset of consumerism. Andy Warhol

5. Marcel Duchamp Marcel Duchamp was a pioneer of Dada, a movement that questioned long-held assumptions about what art should be, and how it should be made. In the years immediately preceding World War I, Duchamp found success as a painter in Paris. But he soon gave up painting almost entirely, explaining, “I was interested in ideas—not merely in visual products.”

6. Readymades Seeking an alternative to representing objects in paint, Duchamp began presenting objects themselves as art. He selected mass-produced, commercially available, often utilitarian objects, designating them as art and giving them titles. “Readymades,” as he called them, disrupted centuries of thinking about the artist’s role as a skilled creator of original handmade objects. Instead, Duchamp argued, “An ordinary object [could be] elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist.”

7. The readymade also defied the notion that art must be beautiful. Duchamp claimed to have chosen everyday objects “based on a reaction of visual indifference, with at the same time a total absence of good or bad taste….” 2 In doing so, Duchamp paved the way for Conceptual art—work that was “in the service of the mind,” 3 as opposed to a purely “retinal” art, intended only to please the eye. 2Conceptual art 3

8. But is it original? Left: Robert Colesscott, Les Demoiselles d’Alabama, 19855; Right: Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907

9. Re-contextualization Shepard Fairey

11. But what about sculpture?

12. Jeff Koons Case 1: Rogers v. Koons Jeff Koons is well known artist who is know for his appropriation of images and re contextualizing them in his pieces. In this case though, he pushed it too far and paid the price for it. Art Rogers was a professional photographer and took the picture (bottom right). He then had the picture printed on postcards and sold them. Koons in turn saw the postcard and decided to make a statue of it, most notably ripping the copyright sticker off of it and handing it to his assistants with instructions on how to construct the statue.

13. Art fail It was inevitable that Rogers would find out due to the popularity of Koons at the time. After the trial, Koons was found guilty of misappropriation of the photograph and that the pieces were found to possess “substantial similarity”. Koons lost on all accounts.

14. Damien Hirst

15. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ The root of all evil stems from money when talking about appropriation. If you are using appropriation for personal use or for Educational use, you are generally safe from repercussions, but it is when you publicly present your work or try to sell it that the problems arise. This is only the tip of the iceberg on this topic and as you wade further and further into murky waters it only becomes more confusing.

16. Fair Use Fair use is a legal doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders. It is one type of limitation and exception to the exclusive rights copyright law grants to the author of a creative work.

18. Mixed media appropriation

19. Questions to ask yourself: Who is the original artist? How did you appropriate this artwork? What media did you choose and why? What are the original pieces about? What is the meaning of your artwork and how do you get that across and connect with the audience without giving it away?