Question 9: Walter Benjamin and loss of authenticity

Question 9. In his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin argued that a piece's aura loses value when it is mechanically reproduced. What does he mean by this? What relevance does this have on the field of arts leadership and cultural management today? Breakdown BODY 3. What is the quote?

Authenticity is important in terms of illegal reproductions of art. QUOTE: "It is not illegal to reproduce or imitate an artist's work, but it becomes a crime when the act is coupled with the intent to deceive. Passing off an imitation as a famous artist's work is fraud" (Czegledi, 2010, p.159). The way a piece fits into history is important to its value. Even exact replica holds less value. Authenticating artwork helps with process of locating/returning lost or stolen cultural artifacts to members of cultures.

Question 9. In his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin argued that a piece's aura loses value when it is mechanically reproduced. What does he mean by this? What relevance does this have on the field of arts leadership and cultural management today? Breakdown the framework. What are the quotes? Where do they go?

BODY 1: Explanation of Benjamin's idea that loss of aura/authenticity that occurs through mechanical reproduction of art. QUOTE: "Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be" (Benjamin, 1968). BODY 2: How Benjamin's idea of authenticity/power to elicit emotion is relevant today. BODY 3: Authenticity is important in terms of illegal reproductions of art. QUOTE: "It is not illegal to reproduce or imitate an artist's work, but it becomes a crime when the act is coupled with the intent to deceive. Passing off an imitation as a famous artist's work is fraud" (Czegledi, 2010, p.159). BODY 4: Desire for authenticity makes us human. Salvator Munti.

Question 9. In his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin argued that a piece's aura loses value when it is mechanically reproduced. What does he mean by this? What relevance does this have on the field of arts leadership and cultural management today? Breakdown BODY 4.

Desire for authenticity makes us human. Perhaps in a world in which art was judged only by the quality of work, authenticity would be meaningless. However, we live in world where context matters, where that da Vinci was the one who painted Salvator Munti adds $400 mil to a painting's price tag. The increase reflects importance of authenticity.

Question 9. In his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin argued that a piece's aura loses value when it is mechanically reproduced. What does he mean by this? What relevance does this have on the field of arts leadership and cultural management today? Breakdown BODY 1. What is the quote?

Explanation of Benjamin's idea that loss of aura/authenticity that occurs through mechanical reproduction of art: QUOTE: "Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be" (Benjamin, 1968). *In a sense, he's arguing that no such thing as reproduction, because time, space, and context of original can never be reproduced. *Removing time/space/context degrades or changes art. *Authentic art garners different human response than do reproductions. For example, monetary value of original work often times is much higher than that of its reproductions. Also, emotional response to original work tied to time/context/direct result of artist.

Question 9. In his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin argued that a piece's aura loses value when it is mechanically reproduced. What does he mean by this? What relevance does this have on the field of arts leadership and cultural management today? Breakdown BODY 2.

How Benjamin's idea of authenticity/power to elicit emotion is relevant today: Arts leaders expected to protect art and cultural works. EXAMPLE: destruction of ancient works by terrorist orgs, Taliban and ISIS. Destructive actions against statues of Buddha and ancient books/artifacts were extreme, they claimed purpose behind actions. International community outcry. Recognized value of authentic works, that they deserve protection. Protecting works in museums or mountains of central Afghanistan is difficult. Arts leaders must take steps: Strategies: 1. Work with government orgs to stay informed of potential threats. 2. Invest in security measures - alarm systems, panic devices, intrusion detection systems. 3. Conducting thorough background checks on employees 4. Require employees receive training on security protocols.