Hello Green Level, and welcome back to your guide to art around the world! This week, we’re talking about the phenomenon of modern art. But what even is the movement? According to the Museum of Modern Art, modern art is new, avant garde artwork that originated just after the industrial revolution. As the world changed, people broke away from the norm and embraced their own creativity and ideas. Since then, modern art has evolved and transformed into something some consider beautiful, and others see as just plain weird. You can read more about it here! 

The first thing to talk about is one you may have already seen through social media. Remember last week and the golden toilet thievery? The same artist has returned with something even weirder. It’s a banana taped to a wall – and it’s being sold for $120,000. Titled Comedian, the sculpture made by Maurizio Cattelan has been called ridiculous, superficial, and lazy. Someone even ate the fruit display! But what’s the meaning behind this? In 1999, Cattelan taped a famous art dealer to his wall. It could be referencing the bright bananas painted in front of art spaces in Berlin, reflecting how Cattelan brought a banana to all his travels, or be a reflection on power in the past and climate change in the future. Then again, it could also just be a banana. 

Other parts of the world have rich modern art too. For example, Turkish artist Abidin Dino is making headlines with his exhibits. He creates art of all kinds and forms and helped diversify and transform Turkish artwork into something vibrant and unique. His versatile creations shining despite his lack of fine art training show that anyone can become an amazing artist. You can learn more about Dino’s beautiful work here.

Finally, the Museum of Modern Art has a new exhibit focusing on abstract artwork! South America is rich and has such a beautiful culture, and abstract work is prominent in modern art. Why not combine both? The exhibit shows some of the magic throughout the history of abstract art in current times, and it’s a colorful new experience for those who think they’re sick of random art. Maybe take a trip during winter break – the exhibit is open until March!  

That’s all for this week, Gators! I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about modern artwork in our world, have a great rest of your day!