Niels Frid-Nielsen shows in the book, Provokunst , how artists have provoked, challenged and confronted bourgeois society for 100 years and have been met with censorship, mockery, hatred, laughter and lots of debate.
The book presents a cultural historical tale of spectacular artistic controversies, such as when Wilhelm Freddie had a painting that showed a penis on a woman's cheek banned. It also describes the incident where Santa's army handed out presents from the shelves of a department store and was arrested for it. In addition, it covers Lars von Trier's controversial statements about Hitler at the Cannes Film Festival, Dan Turèll's decision to shave his head and paint his nails black, and how a laser light on the West Coast sparked wild debate.
In addition, Provokunst deals with contemporary incidents, such as when Asger Jorn had a work plastered over, Jens Haaning accepted payment for a work and then disappeared, and when a bust of King Frederik V was thrown into Copenhagen's harbour.
Author: Niels Frid-Nielsen
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Gads Forlag
Language: Danish