Art (Kunst)

Serge, Mark and Ivan have been friends for fifteen years. Serge is partial to buying modern art. Mark isn’t. Ivan’s not quite certain. Serge buys a white painting for € 60 000. Mark makes it obvious he finds this ridiculous. Ivan is caught between the two, tries to pick up the pieces and in the meantime paints a couple himself.
The question is, will their friendship survive?

Yasmina Reza (1959) is a French writer and actor. Her father was a Jewish-Iranian engineer of Russian origin, her mother a Jewish-Hungarian violinist.

‘Art’, her most well-known play, was premiered on 28 October 1994 in Paris and that same year won the ‘Moliere’ prize for best author, best play and best production. The play has been translated into thirty languages.

‘Art’ is above all a brilliant tragic comedy, but today’s increasingly cynical neoliberal discourse about the relevance of art and culture makes the text frighteningly relevant.

When is art art?
What should it cost?
Is it relevant that a country spends money on art?
Should your hobby be subsidized?