The Concept of Authorship in Visual Arts : Main Contemporary Approaches

Abstract

The question of authorship became one of the most important issues in art theory in the second half of 20th century. This issue appeared in the fields of aesthetics, theory and history of visual arts originaly under the influence of literary theory. On the other hand, art practice of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s alone raises this question and challenges the borders of art creativity, the role and meaning of the “artist” in creation and perception of the artwork. This was the way in which the concepts of “author” and “artist” came into the focus of art theory, which made further explorations and clarification of these concepts a necessity.