In July 2022, the Frans Hals Museum and Lenz Press published The Art of Critique. What does institutional critique mean today? Could this artistic practice provide us with a means to respond to the social, political, and economic issues of our time?

The Art of Critique uses a feminist approach to broaden and challenge traditional art historical definitions of institutional critique. At a time in which institutions and their way of operating are facing a surge of public scrutiny, this art movement is more topical and broader than ever. This is visible in the work of contemporary artists, who shed a new light on the legacy of institutional critique while addressing structural issues as wide-ranging as labor practices in the creative industry, city development, gender inequality, and the intertwined histories of capitalism and colonialism.

The publication documents the long-term project at the Frans Hals Museum (2019–22)—a symposium, Color Critique (chapter one); an exhibition, Image Power (chapter two: Image Critique); and artist commissions (chapter three: Structure Critique)—together with artworks, conversations, and newly commissioned and translated essays.

You can buy The Art of Critique in our museum shop in HOF and online at Lenz Press.

The publication has been generously supported by Outset Contemporary Art Fund Netherlands and VriendenLoterij.