Reflected Paris Beauty Spots (Louvre) 1980

This is an intriguing piece, “Reflected Paris Beauty Spots (Louvre),” by Iain Baxter&, though the date of its creation is unknown. It’s a photograph depicting a nude back with a polaroid of the Louvre affixed to it. The choice of the Louvre as a "beauty spot" is telling. What makes a place beautiful? Is it the art it houses, its historical significance, or something else entirely? The polaroid, a symbol of instant gratification and mass culture, juxtaposed with the classical art of the Louvre, prompts us to question the democratization of art and its accessibility in contemporary society. This work perhaps comments on the commodification of art and the human body. To fully grasp its meaning, research into the socio-political context of Paris during the time it was made would be invaluable. It reminds us that art is not created in a vacuum but is deeply intertwined with the social and institutional forces of its time.