Birthday of art: what is it all about?
Every year on 17 January, the birthday of art is celebrated. But what exactly is it and how did it come about?
Celebration of art in life
“Art is what makes life more interesting than art” – this quote by the artist Robert Filliou captures the essence of Art’s Birthday or Anniversaire de l’art, celebrated every year on 17 January. This holiday is about celebrating the presence of art in its various forms in our daily lives.
Celebrations and events take place in the streets to mark the occasion. Artists from all over the world give art as a gift through all available means of communication – from radio and fax, to television and telephone, to the Internet and streaming. Thanks to modern media, new artists are added every year and the reach is extended.
The origins of the birthday of art
In 1963, the French Fluxus artist Robert Filliou spontaneously declared his own birthday to be the millionth anniversary of art. He told an unspectacular but at the same time – or perhaps because of it – amusing anecdote: a million years ago there was no art. But one day, on 17 January 999,963 A.D., someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water – and art was born, an important part of human culture.
Art celebrated all over Aachen
Robert Filliou publicly celebrated the 1,000,010th birthday of art in Aachen in 1973. To celebrate art in life rather than on walls, paintings were removed from museums and the celebrations took place in the colourfully decorated streets, accompanied by orchestras and fireworks. Filliou’s wish was that on this special day, everyone would have the day off and the children would have a school holiday. So the offices, schools and factories of Aachen were closed and the people of Aachen joined in the celebrations. Even after Filliou’s death in 1987, the birthday tradition continued.
The birthday of art 2023
In 2023, art will celebrate its 1,000,060th birthday. For this year’s day of action, various events will take place around the world. In Berlin, for example, 20 musical and poetic short films will be streamed. You can find an overview of the events planned worldwide by the so-called “eternal network” of artists here.
Art for your home from KunstLoft
If you want to celebrate and enjoy art in your home every day, KunstLoft has exquisite sculptures, a wide variety of murals and wall decorations. There’s something for everyone in our carefully curated selection of artworks!
Image credits: cover image: Muhd Asyraaf – Unsplash, image 1: Igor Ovsyannykov – Pixabay, images 2 – 7: @KunstLoft