Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 8 minutes ago
In 1969, five art students conspired to carry out the request that artist Shusaku Arakawa (1936-2010) stenciled into his painting Untitled (1969): “IF POSSIBLE STEAL ANY ONE OF THESE DRAWINGS INCLUDING THIS SENTENCE.” The performative art caper raised questions of ownership and artistic agency. In this conversation moderated by curator Patricia Hickson, hear the original thieves/artists discuss their plot to remove Arakawa’s work from the Dwan Gallery in New York and the story of its accession into the collection of the Wadsworth.
This program was recorded on July 16, 2021.
In 1969, five art students conspired to carry out the request that artist Shusaku Arakawa (1936-2010) stenciled into his painting Untitled (1969): “IF POSSIBLE STEAL ANY ONE OF THESE DRAWINGS INCLUDING THIS SENTENCE.” The performative art caper raised questions of ownership and artistic agency. In this conversation moderated by curator Patricia Hickson, hear the original thieves/artists discuss their plot to remove Arakawa’s work from the Dwan Gallery in New York and the story of its accession into the collection of the Wadsworth.
This program was recorded on July 16, 2021.
