Peinture acrylique blanche sur tissu rayé blanc et rouge 1970

Daniel Buren made this painting with white acrylic on a red and white striped fabric. Buren started using this commercially available striped material in the mid-1960s as a way to challenge the established art world. Made in France, Buren’s work questioned what constitutes art and where art should be displayed. The stripes became a signature element, a kind of visual tool, that he used in various public and institutional settings. By using a commonplace, mass-produced fabric, Buren aimed to strip away the pretense and exclusivity often associated with fine art. He forces us to consider the social and economic structures that dictate what is valued as art. To understand Buren's work, one might delve into the history of institutional critique in art, exploring manifestos and critical essays that challenged the norms of museums and galleries. Ultimately, his art reminds us that meaning is not inherent in an object, but constructed through cultural and institutional context.