Art and Objecthood: Essays and Reviews

by Michael Fried

Much acclaimed and highly controversial, Michael Fried's art criticism defines the contours of late modernism in the visual arts. This volume contains twenty-seven pieces, including the influential introduction to the catalog for Three American Painters, the text of his book Morris Louis, and the renowned Art and Objecthood. Originally published between 1962 and 1977, they continue to generate debate today. These are uncompromising, exciting, and impassioned writings, aware of their transformative power during a time of intense controversy about the nature of modernism and the aims and essence of advanced painting and sculpture. Ranging from brief reviews to extended essays, and including major critiques of Jackson Pollock, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Frank Stella, and Anthony Caro, these writings establish a set of basic terms for understanding key issues in high the viability of Clement Greenberg's account of the infralogic of modernism, the status of figuration after Pollock, the centrality of the problem of shape, the nature of pictorial and sculptural abstraction, and the relationship between work and beholder. In a number of essays Fried contrasts the modernist enterprise with minimalist or literalist art, and, taking a position that remains provocative to this day, he argues that minimalism is essentially a genre of theater, hence artistically self-defeating. For this volume Fried has also provided an extensive introductory essay in which he discusses how he became an art critic, clarifies his intentions in his art criticism, and draws crucial distinctions between his art criticism and the art history he went on to write. The result is a book that is simply indispensable for anyone concerned with modernist painting and sculpture and the task of art criticism in our time.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, Essays, Criticism

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 1998

Reviews

[Ramin Azodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

- Fried criticises Minimal Art (which he calls "literalist art") for its inherent theatricality. He argues modernist art defeats theatre by defeating objecthood and temporality.
- Literalist art embraces objecthood and aims to establish itself as an independent art equal to painting and sculpture. It aspires to "discover and project objecthood as such."

[Brian]

Necessary reading, even if you hate formalist abstraction and love the minimalism and literalism which, essentially, has replaced it. Here, Fried, like various other apologist for rear-guard ideology (to say nothing of actual art), has identified to essential issues - whether art has an essence at all, what it might take to preserve that putative essence, and whether art retains an moral authority and power to transform the viewery; or, conversely, whether art is just a lot of stuff thrown together in more or less interesting ways. The most impressive aspect of Fried, startlingly theologically grounded homily in defense of real presence, is not its correctness, and certainly not it cogency either. Rather, Fried's strong suit is his ability to write with a sense of urgency and conviction which was already disappearing in a world given over not only to Tony Smith and Donald Judd (whom Fried addresses head on) but also over to Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg (whom Fried will not so much as deign to mention by name). Finally, reading this landmark work in American formalist aesthetics sheds much light on Fried's quondam mentor Clement Greenberg, upon whom is retroactively imposed many ideas which were in fact those of the student. If one hates Greenberg, as so many seem to do, one would do well to reread him along with Fried and ask who in fact is the true advocate of abstract idealism.

[Francesco Tenaglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, weak and biased if militant and acutely orchestrated: it's relevant for all criticism that refined its fangs slashing it.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estou lendo agora difícil boas sacadas

[Stanimir · Rating 2 out of 5]

In his influential essay "Art and Objecthood" (1967), Michael Fried presents a compelling and provocative critique of Minimalism, a movement that was rapidly gaining traction in the art world during the 1960s. Fried, a staunch advocate of modernist principles, offers a thorough and incisive analysis that questions the very foundations of Minimalist art, or what he refers to as "literalist" art. His arguments are rooted in a deep concern for the future of art and its ability to remain autonomous and self-sufficient in an increasingly commodified world.

Fried’s primary criticism of Minimalism centers on what he terms "theatricality." He argues that Minimalist works, such as the sculptural forms of artists like Donald Judd and Robert Morris, are inherently theatrical because they rely on the viewer’s presence to achieve their full meaning. Unlike traditional modernist works, which Fried believes should be self-contained and independent of the viewer, Minimalist art invites and even necessitates an interactive experience. This interaction, according to Fried, transforms the experience of art into a kind of performance, thereby undermining the purity and autonomy that he sees as essential to the modernist project.

Another key aspect of Fried’s critique is his concept of "objecthood." He contends that Minimalist works emphasize their status as mere objects rather than as vehicles for aesthetic experience. For Fried, the focus on materiality and spatial relationships in Minimalism reduces art to something that exists solely in relation to the viewer’s physical presence. This "objecthood" contrasts sharply with Fried’s ideal of modernist art, which he believes should transcend its physical form to evoke a deeper, more contemplative experience.

Fried’s analysis is also a passionate defense of modernist values, particularly the notion of medium-specificity. He argues that each art form should explore and express its unique characteristics, a principle that he feels is abandoned by Minimalism’s blurring of the boundaries between art and non-art. For Fried, the true essence of art lies in its ability to resist the encroachment of the everyday world, maintaining a distinct and elevated status that Minimalism, in his view, fails to achieve.

While Fried’s critique is undoubtedly rigorous and intellectually rich, it is also deeply controversial. His dismissal of Minimalism as a legitimate artistic movement has been challenged by many who see Minimalism’s embrace of space, materiality, and viewer interaction as a vital expansion of artistic possibilities. However, whether one agrees with Fried’s conclusions or not, his essay remains a foundational text in the discourse on Minimalism and continues to provoke debate and reflection among artists, critics, and scholars.

In conclusion, Michael Fried’s "Art and Objecthood" is a landmark essay that offers a penetrating critique of Minimalism, questioning its departure from modernist traditions and warning of the dangers of theatricality and objecthood in art. His arguments, while polarizing, are essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of modern and contemporary art. Fried’s unwavering commitment to the autonomy of art challenges us to consider the boundaries and definitions of art in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.

[ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

rip michael fried you would have loved produce de leiria

[Zev Roschy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Interesting"

[Karl von der Luft]

re-read autumn 2025

[Helena Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did a 10-page essay around Art and Objecthood, Michael Fried, Clement Greenberg, and Donald Judd, which I conclude with, I quote:

(...)

Although some questions may seem unanswered, Fried's theoretical framework remains relevant even after the historical change that occurred with the advent of Minimalism. The discovery of this spectator remains effective until today, and Fried is one of the first to discuss the consequences of this discovery, clearly demonstrating that the developments of new aesthetic forms are not homogeneous: at times he emphasizes the theatricality of the relationship between
the viewer and the work, placing it in the discursive network of art and its institutions, and at other times it can be less theatrical, by underlining the function of the medium by integrating it into the work of art itself.

The presence that Fried believes diminishes modernist art is a notion of effect that prevails in contemporary art as a crucial aspect. Despite the claims that art should not be subjective and related to the viewer's body, which deny the change of Art from a Modernist paradigm to a Post-Modernist one, of which Minimalism is a precursor, Art and Objecthood is undoubtedly an
important document in the history of art. It not only defines the principles of Modernism, but also explains its divisions in the 1960s. In any case, the distinction it makes between what he considers the "authentic art" of his time and literalism seems to be on one more politically inclined than properly in terms of art theory, and maybe that's why Modernism pure and proper accompanies the end of his influence as a critic.

[Francis Ankyiah]

GOOD

[Ryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Team fried ,not sorry

[Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Criticism of modernist abstract art with a Hegelian/Wittgensteinian bent. On point.