Art and Objecthood

Michael Fried's essay "Art and Objecthood" (1967) is a significant critique of minimalist art. Fried, an influential art critic, argued that minimalism's emphasis on the object's presence and the exhibition's context, which he termed "theatricality," detracted from the work of art itself and its inherent quality and value. He believed that true modernist art, particularly painting and sculpture, should possess "presentness and instantaneousness" to overcome theatricality. Fried's work championed a formalist approach, prioritizing the artwork's intrinsic formal qualities over external or contextual associations. This perspective positioned him as a powerful advocate for art that asserted its own hermetic integrity, distinct from the audience's engagement or the surrounding environment.123