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In 1996 Jacques Derrida gave a lecture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on the occasion of Antonin Artaud: Works on Paper, one of the first major international exhibitions to present the avant-garde dramatist and poet's paintings and drawings. Derrida's original title, "Artaud the Moma," is a characteristic play on words. It alludes to Artaud's calling himself Mômo, Marseilles slang for "fool," upon his return to Paris in 1946 after nine years in various asylums while playing off of the museum's nickname, MoMA. But the title was not deemed "presentable or decent," in Derrida's words, by the very institution that chose to exhibit Artaud's work. Instead, the lecture was advertised as "Jacques Derrida . . . will present a lecture about Artaud's drawings."
For Derrida, what was at stake was what it meant for the museum to exhibit Artaud's drawings and for him to lecture on Artaud in that institutional context. Thinking over the performative force of Artaud's work and the relation between writing and drawing, Derrida addresses the multiplicity of Artaud's identities to confront the modernist museum's valorizing of originality. He channels Artaud's specter, speech, and struggle against representation to attempt to hold the museum accountable for trying to confine Artaud within its categories. Artaud the Moma, as lecture and text, reveals the challenge that Artaud posed to Derrida—and to art and its institutional history. A powerful interjection into the museum halls, this work is a crucial moment in Derrida's thought and an insightful, unsparing reading of a challenging writer and artist.
For Derrida, what was at stake was what it meant for the museum to exhibit Artaud's drawings and for him to lecture on Artaud in that institutional context. Thinking over the performative force of Artaud's work and the relation between writing and drawing, Derrida addresses the multiplicity of Artaud's identities to confront the modernist museum's valorizing of originality. He channels Artaud's specter, speech, and struggle against representation to attempt to hold the museum accountable for trying to confine Artaud within its categories. Artaud the Moma, as lecture and text, reveals the challenge that Artaud posed to Derrida—and to art and its institutional history. A powerful interjection into the museum halls, this work is a crucial moment in Derrida's thought and an insightful, unsparing reading of a challenging writer and artist.
- GenresPhilosophy
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2017
12 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Jacques Derrida
652 books1,798 followersJacques Derrida was a French philosopher best known for developing deconstruction, a method of critical analysis that questioned the stability of meaning in language, texts, and Western metaphysical thought. Born in Algeria, he studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he was influenced by philosophers such as Heidegger, Husserl, and Levinas. His groundbreaking works, including Of Grammatology (1967), Writing and Difference (1967), and Speech and Phenomena (1967), positioned him at the center of intellectual debates on language, meaning, and interpretation.
Derrida argued that Western philosophy was structured around binary oppositions—such as speech over writing, presence over absence, or reason over emotion—that falsely privileged one term over the other. He introduced the concept of différance, which suggests that meaning is constantly deferred and never fully present, destabilizing the idea of fixed truth. His work engaged with a wide range of disciplines, including literature, psychoanalysis, political theory, and law, challenging conventional ways of thinking and interpretation.
Throughout his career, Derrida continued to explore ethical and political questions, particularly in works such as Specters of Marx (1993) and The Politics of Friendship (1994), which addressed democracy, justice, and responsibility. He held academic positions at institutions such as the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and the University of California, Irvine, and remained an influential figure in both European and American intellectual circles. Despite criticism for his complex writing style and abstract concepts, Derrida’s ideas have left a lasting impact on contemporary philosophy, literary theory, and cultural criticism, reshaping the way meaning and language are understood in the modern world.
Derrida argued that Western philosophy was structured around binary oppositions—such as speech over writing, presence over absence, or reason over emotion—that falsely privileged one term over the other. He introduced the concept of différance, which suggests that meaning is constantly deferred and never fully present, destabilizing the idea of fixed truth. His work engaged with a wide range of disciplines, including literature, psychoanalysis, political theory, and law, challenging conventional ways of thinking and interpretation.
Throughout his career, Derrida continued to explore ethical and political questions, particularly in works such as Specters of Marx (1993) and The Politics of Friendship (1994), which addressed democracy, justice, and responsibility. He held academic positions at institutions such as the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and the University of California, Irvine, and remained an influential figure in both European and American intellectual circles. Despite criticism for his complex writing style and abstract concepts, Derrida’s ideas have left a lasting impact on contemporary philosophy, literary theory, and cultural criticism, reshaping the way meaning and language are understood in the modern world.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 21, 2018
Anton Artaud, without a doubt, one of the fascinating figures out of French literature/drama. Over the years, I have read pretty much everything by and on Artaud. A very difficult subject matter because he's like a spirit than a human being. Artaud, the artist/writer, is probably one of the most articulate individuals to describe the essence of his physical/psychological issues. It seems everything he has done, even as an actor in films, is his porthole to his inner demons. It's a fascinating match-up of having such a profound thinker like Jacques Derrida commenting on Artaud, his drawings, and also the relationship between having such an artist like Artaud, within the walls of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Which is the double-whammy in this book, because Derrida also questions the nature of a museum and what role it has in someone like Artaud.
"Artaud the Moma," which is a pun or wordplay of Artaud's name for himself 'Mômo,' which is French slang for 'fool.' Derrida's insightful, but a difficult reading of Artaud's drawings is a lecture he gave at MoMA in 1996 during the exhibition "Anton Artaud: Works on Paper." I read this book in two settings, and it's only 94 pages long. Still, it's like listening to a great Be-Bop jazz musician tearing apart a traditional melody into little pieces, and then building it up again. On the other hand, writing about Artaud's aesthetic and art is not a straightforward manner. To write about such an artist one has to force themselves at the entrance of the gate, and work your way out to the backyard exit. It's a fascinating journey, and Derrida's thoughts on Artaud's insanity as well as his superhuman effort to express himself, not only in the confines of his illness, but also in institutions such as mental hospitals, and there even museums.
"Artaud the Moma," which is a pun or wordplay of Artaud's name for himself 'Mômo,' which is French slang for 'fool.' Derrida's insightful, but a difficult reading of Artaud's drawings is a lecture he gave at MoMA in 1996 during the exhibition "Anton Artaud: Works on Paper." I read this book in two settings, and it's only 94 pages long. Still, it's like listening to a great Be-Bop jazz musician tearing apart a traditional melody into little pieces, and then building it up again. On the other hand, writing about Artaud's aesthetic and art is not a straightforward manner. To write about such an artist one has to force themselves at the entrance of the gate, and work your way out to the backyard exit. It's a fascinating journey, and Derrida's thoughts on Artaud's insanity as well as his superhuman effort to express himself, not only in the confines of his illness, but also in institutions such as mental hospitals, and there even museums.
August 5, 2017
Thank you Net Galley. A delightful read. Derrida has penned an insightful and thought provoking book about Antonin Artaud. His words make us question the categorization of creativity and the link between "art"and "writing.". A must read.
July 31, 2022
Derrida at his best.
August 8, 2023
The deranged embodiment of the descent of Art.
November 2, 2024
aujourd'hui quoi
a triad of insanity
a triad of insanity
October 15, 2018
I eventually want to read a Derrida with more depth
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews