From the Marquis de Sade to Cardi B: the history of dangerous art

A new book argues that the term “depraved” may deserve a renewed role in debates about “dangerous art.” In Depraved: The Story of Dangerous Art, Cardiff University philosophy assistant professor Daisy Dixon contends that the adjective has fallen sharply in usage since its late-1700s peak, even as questions about art and ethics have intensified. Dixon frames the project as more philosophy than comprehensive history, moving between examples ranging from Paleolithic Europe to contemporary Japan, with cases spanning India and Norway. She challenges boundaries between “high art” and popular culture, discussing artists and works from Rupi Kaur and Cardi B to Joseph Beuys and Marina Abramović. The book examines how audiences and institutions treat works deemed degrading or morally corrupt, including controversies such as the 2020 planned removal of the Robert E Lee monument in Richmond, Virginia. It also situates its themes alongside recent publications on art and ethics, including 2022’s Drawing the Line and 2023’s Monsters.