Art Comes From Art

Video Art Thief - short documentary about Thiebaud's influences - three different types of appropriation. 

 Wayne T. article about copying art

“Wayne’s art-historical interests were a very significant component of his art philosophy and his working practice,” Burgard said. “One very fundamental reason and rationale to embrace this process of appropriation is that it’s just an enormous fertile generator of ideas. And there’s certainly a sense of competition, wanting to one up the great artists of the past, just like [Pablo] Picasso tackled [Eugène] Delacroix and Manet and [Diego] Velázquez!”

The exhibition title, “Art Comes From Art,” is based on a Thiebaud quote: “I believe very much in the tradition that art comes from art and nothing else.” 

Though the artist spoke frequently of his artistic “theft,” Thiebaud did not specifically identify many examples, saying that art historians would be able to figure it out.

Burgard, then, has attempted to do just that.

Sixty of the artist’s art-historical reinterpretations will be on view alongside reproductions of the originals, allowing audiences to judge for themselves if the juxtapositions ring true. (The show catalogue goes even deeper, with Burgard showcasing about 100 Thiebaud works and the pieces he appears to have been cribbing from.)

There will also be 30 outright copies that Thiebaud made of masterpieces by other artists, as well as selections from his personal collection.