[Ads-l] Modern art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't

[Barretts Mail]

Thank you for pushing that citation back to 2009, Garson. Excellent finds. That inspired me to dig some more. Here are my findings (placed in what I found to be order of interest):

1. Wikipedia has an article on "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" (https://tinyurl.com/yf7wks8y), an artwork by Damien Hirst in 1991. 

###
Hirst's response to those who said that anyone could have done this artwork was, "But you didn't, did you?"
###

Wikipedia also references Egg of Columbus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_of_Columbus), which describes Christopher Columbus being criticized for having discovered the Indies since someone else would have done it. Columbus’s response is to challenge people to stand an egg on its end. When nobody else can do it, he crushes the end of the egg and stands it up. The page says that the story is actually older and should be attributed to Filippo Brunelleschi.

2. The Wikipedia citation for Hirst is “Bleeding art” by Lynn Barber on 20 Apr 2003 (https://tinyurl.com/2793achw). 

###
And to those who objected that anyone could have done it, Hirst had an unanswerable answer: 'But you didn't, did you?’
###

3. https://nashvillearts.com/2013/08/yeah-but-you-didnt/
Yeah, but you didn’t
by Leigh Hendry

###
Over the course of many years, I’d often hear people blithely reject a work of art, which they hadn’t expended the time or energy to create, by saying with a casual wave of the hand, “Oh, I could’ve done that!” Whenever this happened (it was usually in reference to contemporary or abstract art), I would shudder inwardly and think yeah, but you didn’t.
###

4. Yes You Could Have Also Made This But You Didn't, 2021
by CB Hoyo 
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/cb-hoyo-yes-you-could-have-also-made-this-but-you-didnt-1

Also includes the text: But you didn’t. fuck you

5. Pasqua - Hey French You could have made this but you didn't - Edition II - Bianco Veneto 
https://tinyurl.com/fmevdydh

This is an Italian wine—I think it’s poking fun at the French saying the wine is so incredible and the French failed to make it. It is labeled with years going back to 2015. The most recent year is 2018. It is also labeled as being a CB Hoyo edition. 

6. Silvia Rubboli Golf
https://www.silviarubboligolf.com/fishart
In the Fish Art collection, Golf has "I could have done that. Yes, but you didn’t” but it is undated. 

7. https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleypaigenicholson/video/7217507880252165422
ashleypaigenicholson
undated 

###
you could have written dbatc but you didn’t so you’re second place in my heart
###

dbatc =  "Death By A Thousand Cuts" by Taylor Swift

Benjamin Barrett (he/his/him)
Formerly of Seattle, WA 

> On May 11, 2023, at 15:33, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Excellent work. Intriguing topic, Benjamin,
> Here is a sampling of close matches from twitter starting in February 2009.
> 
> I hypothesize the existence of earlier matches using different
> phrasing. But I do not know the phrasing. It is a natural response and
> counter-response to Marcel Duchamp's Fountain.
> 
> [Begin tweet information]
> https://twitter.com/Pogarzinha/status/1226762091
> Dina, the LayDidi! @Pogarzinha
> Modern Art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't
> 9:33 AM · Feb 19, 2009
> [End tweet information]
> 
> [Begin tweet information]
> https://twitter.com/evilScientist/status/1306702847
> Kamil Sarna @evilScientist
> Thought of the day: Modern art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't.
> 2:47 PM · Mar 10, 2009
> [End tweet information]
> 
> [Begin tweet information]
> https://twitter.com/austinkleon/status/1441381766
> Austin Kleon @austinkleon
> "Modern art = I could do that + yeah, but you didn't"
> http://tr.im/newmath (via @repeatnone)
> 6:20 PM · Apr 2, 2009
> [End tweet information]
> 
> Garson
> 
> On Thu, May 11, 2023 at 6:06 PM Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> This expression appears to have been created by Craig Damrauer.
>> 
>> Design Milk says it was released on November 17, 2010 (https://design-milk.com/modern-art-by-craig-damrauer/) but the Marcy C K Hayes blog has an entry from February 25, 2010, that uses the quote even though the artist isn’t cited (https://maryckhayes.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/modernart-2/).
>> 
>> 1. Quotes without attribution:
>> 
>> Evan @ Old News Is Good News: https://oldnewsisgoodnews.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/modern-art-i-could-have-done-that-yeah-but-you-didnt/
>> The badhistory Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/1vn7v8/a_little_bit_of_badarthistory_or_modern_art_i/)
>> Tobias van Schneider : https://vanschneider.com/blog/yeah-but-i-could-have-done-that-too/
>> 
>> 2. Attributed incorrectly: SciArt that’ll make you feel Smart (https://neurobead.com/2020/11/21/abstract_art/ ) attributes it to Crain Damrauer.
>> 
>> 3. Quoted with attribution:
>> beckybendylegs on BeckyBendyLegs: https://beckybendylegs.com/modern-art-i-could-do-that-yeah-but-you-didnt/
>> Tara Ward @ University of Michigan: https://hartgalleries.lsa.umich.edu/course_listings_w18/index.php?num=272-001h
>> 


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