On Art 'Vandalism' and Civil Resistance in Museums
14 days return policy
Shipping & Delivery
Product details
- ISBN 9781032942162
- Weight: 560g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 15 Oct 2025
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
Examining modern art vandalism across Europe and North America from 1970 to 2020, this book offers the first comprehensive sociological analysis of this phenomenon.
Drawing on perspectives from directors, curators, security personnel, legal experts, artists and — uniquely — the vandals themselves, Bessette unravels the complex dynamics of intentional art damage within museum spaces. The study reconceptualizes art vandalism as a form of artistic expression and museums as sites of social contestation by providing insights into the motivations, reactions and institutional responses surrounding art vandalism.
In doing so, the book illuminates how vandalism challenges traditional notions of art preservation, institutional authority and cultural value. This enhanced English edition features an additional chapter exploring recent ecological civil resistance actions in museums (2022–2024), providing timely insights into evolving forms of art intervention. An essential reading for students and scholars in art history, museum studies, sociology, cultural politics and criminology.
Anne Bessette is a Sociologist and an Associate Researcher at CERLIS (Centre de Recherche sur les Liens Sociaux) and PALOC (Patrimoines Locaux, Environnement et Globalisation) in Paris. Her research explores the relationship between audiences and the arts within cultural institutions, particularly museums. Her current work extends these questions by analysing ecological civil resistance in museums, as well as examining the roles and actions of museums in relation to environmental issues. In addition to publishing several peer-reviewed articles, she co-edited the volume À la recherche du musée: réflexions croisées en histoire de l'art, muséologie et sociologie (2023).
