Definitely Not Art

Folks, this is not a joke... I repeat, not a joke:

The Royal Academy in London, one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world, recently displayed a slate pedestal and a small piece of wood as a minimalist work. The sculpted head that was supposed to be shown had been separated from the pedestal and wooden support during preparations for the summer exhibit. The mistake was not discovered until artist David Hensel came in looking for his sculpture and found just the base on display. Museum curators, however, were unapologetic, saying the block of slate deserved exposure while the sculpture did not. "Given their separate submission, the two parts were judged independently," according to the academy's official statement. "The head was rejected. The base was thought to have merit and accepted."

While humorous, given the premises of many in the contemporary art world, this is not surprising. I repeat, this is not surprising. It is sad/stupid/ridiculous/etc., but not surprising.

To see the display in question, visit this other news source.