Elsa Saliba

Throughout history, certain art pieces have been labeled as rule-breaking or pioneering. Such artworks elicited strong reactions and rejection initially, but ultimately broke conventions and introduced new art kinds. Although revolutionary artworks play a key role in art history and society, established theories in philosophy of art have neglected this central topic. To address this gap in the literature, this article offers an analysis of pioneering artworks by drawing on tools from the ontology of artifacts while also introducing new concepts. I argue that the emergence of pioneering artworks is comparable to the emergence of prototypes in artifacts. These artworks enable the creation of new art kinds, much like prototypes provoke the emergence of new artifact kinds through the introduction of a new function. Furthermore, such artworks do not merely introduce a new function, as prototypes do, but often a function perceived as heretical, one that challenges artistic norms and provokes strong audience reactions. I conclude that a functional understanding of pioneering artworks that takes into consideration their disruptive force reveals their unique nature.