French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Danto, What Art Is
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Bibliographic reference: Arthur Danto, What Art Is, Questions théoriques + Post-éditions, collection "Saggio Casino", 2015. EAN13: 9791092616071.
Arthur Danto
What Art Is
translated from US English by Séverine Weiss
afterword by Olivier Quintyn
éditions Post-éditions + Questions théoriques, 224 p.
22 €
What exactly do we mean when we claim that an object "is a work of art"? What allows us to differentiate an artwork from a mere real object? Here, Arthur Danto defends an essentialist position, highlighting the universally shared criteria and properties that define the concept of art. What Art Is gives him the opportunity to present the latest state of his research: a work of art, according to him, is characterized by its meaning and by the embodiment of that meaning, to which is added the decisive interpretive contribution of the public.
Throughout his argument, Danto intertwines historical perspectives and theoretical analyses, drawing equally upon philosophers – Plato and his Republic, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, or Peirce – and numerous artists – Muybridge, Cunningham, Michelangelo, Poussin, Manet, Picasso, or the Fauves. Whether discussing the problems posed by the restoration of the Sistine Chapel, the status of "aesthetic ideas" in Kant, the paragone between painting and photography, or the resemblance between art and a "waking dream," the author of The Transfiguration of the Commonplace successfully undertakes a philosophical reassessment of art history, tracing its complex dynamic up to its culmination in the ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol. What Art Is thus revisits a paradigmatic example: that of the Brillo Boxes, artworks visually indiscernible from ordinary objects, yet philosophically distinct.
ARTHUR DANTO
Professor of philosophy at Columbia University (New York), where he taught from 1951 until his death, Arthur Danto (1924–2013) is one of the most prominent American philosophers and art critics of recent decades. Author of works on the philosophy of action, the philosophy of history, and the philosophy of knowledge, and often considered, alongside Nelson Goodman, to be one of the principal representatives of American analytic aesthetics, he nevertheless distanced himself from it by drawing upon so-called "continental" philosophical works (Hegel, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard) to develop his theory of indiscernibles and the end of art.
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An article on this book can be read on laviedesidees.fr:
"Art Put in Boxes", by M. Jimenez.
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By the same author:
The Transfiguration of the Commonplace, French trans. Claude Hary-Schaeffer, Seuil, "Poétique", 1989.
The Philosophical Disenfranchisement of Art, French trans. Claude Hary-Schaeffer, Seuil, "Poétique", 1993 (out of print).
After the End of Art, French trans. Claude Hary-Schaeffer, Seuil, "Poétique", 1996 (out of print).
Contemporary Art and the Closing of History, French trans. Claude Hary-Schaeffer, Seuil, "Poétique", 2000 (out of print).
The Madonna of the Future, French trans. Claude Hary-Schaeffer, Seuil, "Poétique", 2003.
Andy Warhol, French trans. Laurent Bury, Les Belles Lettres, 2011.
Arthur Danto occupies a singular position in contemporary aesthetics, bridging the gap between Anglo-American analytic philosophy and continental traditions. In this volume, the late Columbia University professor and prominent art critic returns to his core inquiry regarding the philosophical foundations of artistic definition. By examining how ordinary objects can become aesthetically charged entities, he addresses fundamental questions about the nature of representation, perception, and historical consciousness. The text serves as an accessible yet rigorous entry point into debates surrounding the ontology of art, making it particularly valuable for students and scholars of aesthetics and philosophy.
Drawing upon a broad intellectual heritage that includes figures like Plato, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche, the author traces the evolution of artistic practices up to the conceptual shifts initiated by Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol. The work engages with classical problems such as the comparison between painting and photography, aesthetic ideas, and the interpretive role of the viewer. Readers interested in the intersection of philosophy, art history, and the theoretical implications of modern ready-mades will find this French translation an insightful resource for understanding how modern and contemporary art challenges traditional definitions.