About the Book

English summary: On what basis today do we acknowledge the right of an individual to call himself an artist? Who is this one whom the artist relies upon to gain his legitimation? On what objective criteria does the attainment of his status depend? In broader terms, what skills are required in order to qualify as an artist? Sociology has often been called upon to answer these questions, with mixed results. The goal of this book is completely different. It is in my role as a philosopher that I attempt to address them by deliberately pursuing the line of research already undertaken on the ethical, as well as aesthetic, foundations of artistic creation - therefore, in the context of what I have called the aesth/ethic.

In adopting as the main thread the most recent normative definition of an artist proposed by UNESCO, this small book - short because it was originally a conference - shows how the criteria of legitimation has shifted from art to culture; i.e., from (artistic) works to (cultural) products. I thus wonder - not without fervour and feistiness, by what authority this criterion is being imposed which, despite pretence to the contrary, radically deprives artists of their hard-won sovereignty in the name of modernity? Must we prefer to substitute for the criterion of artist accountability (always uniquely assumed) the criteria of external and mundane gratitude - which in reality amount to the same thing as those of which Culture (with a capital C) avails itself in order to continue to exist?

This Discourse is followed by a Discussion with Francis Marmande on the notion of sovereignty in the singular sense assigned to it by Georges Bataille.

French description: Sur quelle base reconnait-on aujourd'hui a un individu le droit de se denommer artiste? Qui est ce on dont l'artiste depend pour gagner sa legitimation? Sur quels criteres objectifs repose l'obtention de son statut? Plus generalement, de quoi depend la qualification de l'artiste? Voila des questions que la sociologie a souvent ete amenee a resoudre avec plus ou moins de succes. Or, ici, il ne s'agit pas de cela. C'est en philosophe que je tente d'y repondre, en m'inscrivant deliberement dans le prolongement d'une interrogation deja entamee sur le fondement a la fois ethique et esthetique de la creation artistique - dans la perspective, donc, de ce que j'ai appele l'esth/ethique.En prenant pour fil conducteur la derniere definition normative que l'Unesco a propose de l'artiste, le present opuscule - une conference a l'origine, d'ou sa brievete - montre comment le critere de legitimation s'est deplace de l'art a la culture, c'est-a-dire des oeuvres (artistiques) aux produits (culturels). Je me demande ainsi, non sans vivacite et combativite, de quel monde releve ce critere qui, sous couvert du contraire, prive radicalement l'artiste de cette souverainete qu'il avait pourtant conquise de haute lutte au nom de la modernite? Au critere de la responsabilite, toujours singulierement assumee, de l'artiste devrait-on preferer ceux de sa reconnaissance exterieure et mondaine, qui ne sont en realite rien de moins que ceux dont se soutient la Culture a majuscule pour perseverer dans son etre?

Le present Discours est suivi d'une Discussion avec Francis Marmande au sujet de la notion de souverainete, au sens singulier que lui a donne Georges Bataille.

- P.A.