ArtBrands: when dogs eat Beuys

Michael Klant

Softcover | 21.3 x 1.3 x 23.5 cm | 120 pp

Hatje Cantz | 2008 | 9783775721165

Text in German and English

Beuys dog food, Goya Vienna sausages, Rembrandt tooth paste, Vermeer woodchippers, Leonardo adhesive tape, Michelangelo knives, Klein bikes, Duchamp wine, Lichtenstein vitamins, Fontana juice, Richter spicy fish rolls, Manet scooters, and Raffaello confectionery.

In ArtBrands, artist and art historian Michael Klant presents his collection of products named after famous artists from all periods of art history, with the objects ranging from small office supplies to big machines. Sometimes they are made by manufacturers who happen to have the same name, but often they have simply been given these illustrious names so that they will sell better - both as originals and as fakes.

As diverse as the "works" are, they all have one thing in common: they are seductive guides and subtle hooks in a realm of the imagination which lies between advertising, perception, art, and commerce. And they convey, both playfully and in passing, the highly important museum values of collecting, storage, research, and mediation.