This is so fascinating—in the mid-nineties, Russian artists used market research to find out what people most wanted in art and what they least wanted. People from 14 countries answered questions about their favorite color, if they preferred famous people or ordinary people, and what season they like best, then Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid painted a scene they felt best reflected the most wanted (and another painting for the least wanted) art of that country.
The image above is what Americans like in their art: a placid outdoor scene featuring some wildlife, three ordinary people, and George Washington. Here's France's most wanted (they are, as could be expected, more comfortable with nudity than Americans!).
What's really interesting is that nearly every country surveyed seemed to favor traditional paintings of scenery and dislike abstract art. Except Holland! They were the only country that preferred abstract art over more traditional scenes. What do you think, does George Washington standing by a lake typify American taste in art?
Images via Dia. See all the paintings here.
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