The Autonomy of Artwork, a Commentary
After booth-hopping at Art Basel Hong Kong, and interacting with the art patrons, I contemplated the pieces we all were observing, and wondered if they are truly independent of their context and methods of production. Theodore Adorno, a well-known German philosopher and influential promoter of authoritarianism, asked theoretical questions about the autonomous character of artworks. In other words, we might ask: Does artwork embrace history?