Ce qui n'a pas de prix

In a world where art is becoming merchandise, how do we refocus on beauty? This war is being waged on every front and particularly in the world of contemporary art where beauty is the enemy. In this essay Annie Le Brun denounces and analyses the collusion between finance and a particular brand of contemporary art; this collusion aims to establish the commercial exploitation of something previously seen as unquantifiable. For example, a few years ago the artist Anish Kapoor claimed to own the ultra-black shade Vantablack, monopolising it so no other artist could use it. Le Brun uses her intelligence and perspective to decipher the mechanisms tending towards a generalised aesthetic and far-reaching normalisation. In a world where capitalism contaminates art, and tries to erase any concept of plurality, diversity and individuality, how can we fight this prescriptive debasement? Will the brutality of money eventually mean we stop striving for the priceless?