Buzz
The devastation of art by vandals often sparks outrage. Events like The Bonfire of the Vanities, the obliteration of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, and ISIS's demolition of historic landmarks are stark reminders of cultural losses. Yet, sometimes, the artists themselves are the ones who destroy their creations.
10. Dionysis Karipidis
In 1997, Dionysis Karipidis sculpted a mermaid statue into the rocks at Portokali beach in Greece. This monumental piece was meant to endure for centuries, but visitors today will find it far from its original splendor.
The issue arose when Karipidis was fined €522 for the statue. The artwork was deemed an act of environmental damage, as it was carved directly into the existing rocks rather than using imported materials. After numerous exchanges between the artist and local authorities, efforts to resolve or cover the fine failed, leading Karipidis to take drastic action—armed with a sledgehammer.
In a bold protest against the fine, Karipidis destroyed the mermaid, smashing her face to pieces, and restored the beach to its natural condition.
9. Gerhard Richter
Renowned artists possess an almost magical ability to generate immense wealth from mere strokes of paint. Their creations become priceless treasures the moment they find a buyer.
Gerhard Richter, a celebrated German artist, has mastered various mediums, including painting, photography, and glasswork. In 2015, his piece Abstraktes Bild fetched $46.3 million, setting a record for a living artist. Yet, many of his early works, documented in photographs, have vanished over time.
During the 1960s, Richter used a box cutter to slash some of his completed paintings, while others were incinerated alongside studio waste. Today, these destroyed pieces would collectively be valued at over half a billion dollars.
What drove him to such actions? Dissatisfaction with the final results. Richter now expresses regret, stating, “Occasionally, when I come across a photo of one, I think: What a shame; this one or that one could have been spared.” However, he also found the act of destruction to be profoundly liberating.
8. Blu
Street art is inherently transient. Created in public spaces on surfaces the artist doesn’t own, it faces risks that gallery artworks rarely encounter. An entire Wikipedia page is devoted to documenting destroyed Banksy works.
For two decades, Blu has adorned Bologna’s walls with his murals. The artist vehemently opposed the removal of his works, not because they were to be destroyed, but because they were to be preserved in a gallery. Blu argued, “This exhibition will glorify and legitimize the confiscation of street art, benefiting only unethical collectors and dealers.” In response, he took a chisel and grey paint, erasing 20 years of his creations.
Blu has a history of self-destructing his creations. In 2014, he painted over one of his Berlin murals as a protest against urban development.
7. Charles Camoin
While many artists struggle to part with their creations, Charles Camoin holds the unique distinction of destroying the same artworks not once, but twice.
Following a triumphant exhibition in 1913, Charles Camoin experienced a severe depressive episode. In a fit of despair, he destroyed over 80 of his paintings, cutting them to pieces and discarding the remnants. While this would typically mark the end of such works, writer Francis Caro recovered and restored them. When Caro attempted to auction the restored pieces, Camoin took legal action.
Camoin emerged victorious in the lawsuit. The court ruled that the paintings must be destroyed once more, this time permanently.
6. Jasper Johns
The evolution of an artist’s work is inevitable. For some, this means dramatic shifts; for others, subtle refinements. But what occurs when an artist grows to despise the creations of their earlier years?
In 1954, Jasper Johns experienced a transformative realization. He resolved to stop aspiring and instead become an artist. Acting on this, he destroyed every piece of art he had made up to that point. Unlike others who may have preserved fragments or photographs, Johns left no trace of his early works. It was as though he emerged fully formed into the art scene with his iconic Flag.
5. Karlis Rekevics
If preserving art for future generations is the goal, sculpture might appear to be the ideal medium. However, Karlis Rekevics seems determined to ensure his creations do not endure.
Rekevics constructs his large-scale works using plaster, wood, and foam. Once an exhibition concludes, he dismantles them with a hammer and disposes of the remnants. His background in stage set design, where creations are inherently temporary, influences this approach. Rekevics admits that his habit of destroying his art could pose challenges if someone were to purchase a piece from his exhibitions.
4. Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon’s artworks rank among the most valuable globally. In 2013, one of his triptychs sold for $142 million, setting a record as the most expensive piece of art at the time.
In 1942, Bacon destroyed the majority of his early creations. This was not an isolated incident; throughout his career, he would cut sections from canvases he deemed unworthy or those he felt had potential but were ruined. “I believe I often destroy my better works,” he admitted. “I attempt to push them further, and they lose their essence.” After his death, an inventory of his studio revealed 100 slashed paintings.
The destruction of these canvases didn’t mark their end. The demand for Bacon’s work is so intense that even fragments of his destroyed paintings fetch thousands of pounds.
3. Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s Pieta, a sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary holding the deceased Christ, is a celebrated masterpiece in the Vatican’s collection. In 1972, a disturbed geologist attacked it with a hammer, damaging the Virgin’s nose (which was later stolen by bystanders). However, this is not the artwork we are focusing on.
Michelangelo also crafted another Pieta, known as The Deposition. According to his biographer Vasari, he worked on this piece to maintain his physical and mental discipline. He spent eight years sculpting the four figures, only to one day become so frustrated that he smashed it. He gave the damaged work to a friend, who, astonished, asked why he had destroyed it.
Michelangelo explained, “It was due to my servant Urbino’s constant pressure to finish it. Additionally, I had accidentally broken a piece of the Virgin’s arm, and I had grown dissatisfied with it, partly because of a crack in the marble. Losing patience, I shattered it, and would have completely destroyed it if my servant Antonio hadn’t begged me to give it to him as it was.”
The moral of the story is never rush a genius.
2. Monet
Monet’s water lily series, created over many years in his home’s water garden, are now celebrated worldwide, fetching tens of millions at auctions and displayed in prestigious museums. However, during his lifetime, these works faced criticism. Detractors dismissed his Impressionist style as unclear and chaotic. In fact, the term “Impressionism” itself originated as a derogatory remark aimed at Monet’s art.
The criticism may have affected him. Ahead of a significant 1908 exhibition of his water lily paintings, Monet destroyed 15 large canvases. Additionally, in his final years, he sought to control his legacy, instructing his daughter-in-law to dispose of 60 more works before his death.
1. John Baldessari
In art, destruction can sometimes lead to creation. During the summer of 1970, John Baldessari destroyed 13 years’ worth of paintings, using their ashes to craft a new piece.
This project, titled Cremation Project, involved taking his collection of paintings to a crematorium, where they were turned to ash. Baldessari documented the process through photographs, which became part of the new artwork. He also preserved the ashes in an urn, complete with a plaque bearing his name and the dates of the original works.
Was this the eccentric act of a troubled artist? Surprisingly, Baldessari’s most renowned piece may have stemmed from a practical choice. In 1970, facing a move, he would have needed to transport his entire collection of past works.
