Libé œuvre d'art

PUBLICATION IN THE NEWSPAPER LIBÉRATION, OF A BOX AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE, BACK COVER, 26 OCTOBER 1979.

Concept

The information medium of the printed press is considered and used here as a place in its own right for artistic creation of a symbolic and critical nature. It is asserted that, alongside a given physical space (the museum, the gallery, etc.), the surface or space of information is in itself a medium/material that can be appropriated by artists to create specific 'works of art'.

For a retrospective exhibition that claims to take stock of the last ten years of contemporary art in France, Gérald Gassiot-Talabot, its designated curator, has been asked by the museum's management to select a list of representative artists. In a way, the museum's all-powerful institutional authority has given itself the generous right to make sacred and legitimate the artists it deems worthy of its 'high' recognition.
Fred Forest has seized the opportunity to create a parodic work of provocation. He countered this situation by awarding a parodic accolade himself, in his capacity as an exhibiting artist.

Device

• Publication in the newspaper Libération, on the back cover, of a space entitled "Certificat d'artiste", 26 October 1979.
• Presentation of this page, under glass in a heavily charged frame, gilded with gold leaf, hung on the picture rails of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (A.R.C.2) for the exhibition "Ten years of contemporary art in France".
• At the opening, on 26 October 1979, the newspaper was distributed and sold by auction, signed on the spot by the artist and sold at the usual rate with no extra charge.

Certificat d'artiste (œuvre d'art sociologique)

"As we take stock of ten years of contemporary art in France, I have the honour of issuing this certificate of deficiency to the country's cultural leaders. This symbolic document rewards a spirit of routine, resignation in the face of pressure from the administrative hierarchy, and lack of personal commitment.
The certificate is awarded in the form of a sociological work of art printed on newsprint in a print run of 60,000 copies. The work will be exhibited from 26 October to 2 December 1979 at the Musée d'Art Moderne (A.R.C.2), in accordance with the official invitation I received."

L'artiste
Fred Forest