Original subtitles

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(MAN) Are we ready for studio visits, my little chickens?

Cluck, cluck!

Ah, Persephone.

I see you've been experimenting

with more freehand figurative surrealism.

Yeah. It was a spot-on suggestion.

Better than that silly cartooning

you were doodling with.

Glad you decided to leave high school behind

and join us here at art school.

In fact, tonight I'm guest curating

at Le Gallerie de Pretensi�n,

and a piece like this might fit in perfectly.

Really? You think I'm at that level?

Just might be.

Show me what you have by the end of the day.

Oh, sir, thank you! I will not let you down.

I know I can make work that is original

and true and objectively great.

I know I can make fine art.

Actually, a lot of fine art is none of those things.

(WOLF WHISTLE)

Uh, I don't think the models

are supposed to talk to the students.

Oh, I'm not a model.

I'm Adam Conover, and this is "Adam Ruins Everything."

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Oh! Ugh.

Synced by Bakugan

Hold on, Dilbert.

Who are you to tell me about art?

Okay, I know what great art is.

I have taste.

I've studied the masters.

I read Art Quorum magazine.

I have a tattoo of the Mona Lisa.

Bask in her mysterious smile,

her enigmatic gaze, her creepy lack of eyebrows.

That's why it's the greatest painting in the world.

Actually, the reason we think the Mona Lisa

is the greatest painting in the world is not because it's great.

Here, I'll show you.

We're so perfectly proportioned.

Are we Da Vinci sketches? Yep.

I thought it would better illustrate my point!

Leonardo Da Vinci wasn't always considered

one of the greatest painters,

and the Mona Lisa

wasn't even considered his greatest painting.

Good, not great.

It's no Titian.

But that started to change in 1911,

when one night, a handyman at the Louvre hid in a closet,

took the Mona Lisa off the wall

and walked right out the door with it.

It couldn't have been that easy.

How did he get past all the security?

Huh, there wasn't much.

Back then, the Mona Lisa

was just another painting in the Louvre.

So it took over a day until the guards

even realized it was missing.

Oh, something's different in here.

Oh, yeah. There's a nail in the wall.

Now that's art.

But when newspapers started reporting on the daring heist,

the Mona Lisa became a media sensation.

So after it was recovered two years later,

the Mona Lisa was now the most popular painting in the museum,

and soon, people were calling it

one of the greatest in the world.

Oh, what a mysterious smile.

And a gaze that follows you around the room.

Titian who, I say.

Okay, wait.

That philistine couldn't care less before and now he loves it?

What happened?

Well, one reason is a psychological phenomenon

called the mere-exposure effect.

This is James E. Cutting,

professor in the Department of Psychology

at Cornell University.

Professor, would you mind teaching Persephone

about the mere-exposure effect?

The mere-exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon.

Basically, the more often you see something,

the more you tend to like it.

I conducted an experiment

and I showed viewers pairs of paintings by the same artist

and I asked them which one they preferred,

and without recognizing them,

they tended to prefer the better-known painting,

even though they didn't realize

they had ever seen that painting before.

In a second experiment, I showed a different group of subjects

the lesser-known paintings four times as often as the others,

and even though they saw the same pairs of paintings,

now they had no preference

of one group of paintings over the other.

And this result suggests that the first group of viewers

chose the well-known paintings not because they were better

but only because they were more familiar.

So you're saying that's what happened with the Mona Lisa.

People liked it more because it became more familiar to them.

Yep. And the more they saw it,

the more they shared and copied it.

So today, the Mona Lisa is more familiar than ever

and the effect is even more powerful.

Thanks, Professor.

Adam, does this mean I'm stuck in the slide forever?

Now, look, the Mona Lisa is a great work of art,

but the only reason we think it's the greatest painting of all time

is because it's the most famous painting of all time.

Okay, and it's only famous

because of some historical accident. Who cares?

Well, it's not always an accident.

Just ask the CIA.

In the '50s, the Cold War was also a culture war

and Russia was out to prove

that America was an artistic wasteland.

(CHUCKLES, RUSSIAN ACCENT) You Americans not capable of great art.

You not even have realist painting

of hearty woman using wheat-threshing machine.

The CIA saw American abstract art as an opportunity

to make Soviet painting look rigid an unimaginative.

We gotta fight this, boys.

Show me our best American art.

(ADAM) There was just one problem.

Back then, most people hated abstract art.

Oh.

Well, you gotta dance with the one that brung ya.

In the '50s and '60s, the CIA secretly sponsored

art tours and exhibitions around the world,

and they made abstract art so ubiquitous, it even started

showing up as d�cor in offices and airports.

I spent years looking for meaning out my office window.

Then I saw this painting hanging in the Newark Airport,

and I realized, maybe I'm not such a madman after all.

That's how they talk on "Mad Men," right?

I mean, sorta.

Now, abstract expressionism was always good art,

but this push from the CIA helped make it popular art.

No!

No, the man does not get to decide what becomes popular.

Things become popular because they are objectively brilliant.

Actually, it's the other way around.

A lot of art is only considered brilliant

because it was already popular.

Attaboy, Clarence.

"It's a Wonderful Life" wasn't considered a classic

until the 1970s,

when TV channels started rerunning it like crazy,

and the same thing happens in music.

Ugh, is that why they play the same Chainsmokers song

over and over again on the radio?

Maybe.

Research shows that hearing a song more often

can actually make you like it more.

But heck, even my show is an example.

I mean, by all rights, I can be pretty abrasive, but the network

kept airing it and now people say they got used to me.

How nice for them.

The point is,

you might not like what you like because it's better.

It might just have been in front of your face the most.

But if that's true, then I don't have taste at all.

Then how would I know if anything is good?

No.

No, this is ridiculous.

I have a refined palette,

and just like all the other great artists before me,

I am going to tap into the depths of my soul

and create the most amazing, original piece of art

Le Gallerie de Pretensi�n has ever seen.

Oh, originality in art is way overrated.

In fact, many of history's greatest artists were flagrant copiers.

Ugh! Go forge yourself!

Wait, I have more facts!

Excuse me.

Two hours until the opening.

I just need one great idea.

Something totally original.

Like turtles playing poker?

Agh!

Go away!

This studio is a sanctuary.

Don't soil it with your... plagiarism.

Sorry. Even the greatest artists in history

weren't totally original.

They all copied each other.

You cannot seriously be suggesting

that somebody like Michelangelo was a copier.

Oh, that's exactly what I'm suggesting.

We all imagine that Michelangelo

spent his life communing with the muses.

Whisper to me your desire, sweet marble.

What should I make of thee?

A beautiful Madonna

or a towering David with the tiniest of wee-wees?

But this master of originality

actually started his career as a forger.

Or we could just knock off some Roman thing.

I mean, people love that crap, right?

In the late 1400s, ancient Roman sculpture was all the rage,

and just like today, it was a lot easier to sell a classic

than something by an up-and-coming artist.

So according to his first biographer,

Michelangelo cooked up a scam.

I... I found this in the ground, eh?

Looks legit to me.

He scammed the church?

If I believed in organized religion, I would be appalled.

Well, some historians blame his dealer, but either way,

Michelangelo was flagrantly copying older sculptures.

And it paid off.

Back then, copying the masters was considered a valuable skill.

It was actually the best thing an artist could do

to prove his talent.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Is this a forgery?

Literally classic!

Come to Rome!

We'll get you a job.

What a horrid time period.

I'm sure later, people prized originality in art.

Yeah, but they also prized the fine art of imitation.

For instance, Vincent Van Gogh, who drew inspiration from...

From his mad, tortured genius, obviously.

Cut off his own ear, like a real artist.

Okay, first of all, why do people think having

serious mental health issues makes you a better artist?

What? I can't hear you.

I cut off my ear in a psychotic incident

completely unrelated to my artistic ability.

And second, Van Gogh copied for his art.

From 1889 to '90, Van Gogh honed his style by making 21 copies

of paintings by his favorite artist, Jean-Fran�ois Millet.

Yeah, I'm cuckoo.

Cuckoo for copying paintings.

It was basically fine art fan art,

except his fan art hangs in the Met.

(ADAM) In fact, all the masters did it.

Just like when Claude Monet painted his dayjon...

Dayjonnay...

"Lunch on the Grass."

He was inspired by Edouard Manet's masterpiece,

also entitled "Lunch on the Grass."

And Manet was inspired by the women in this Titian painting.

And the poses of the figures

from this Marcantonio Raimondi engraving.

See?

These great artists all borrowed elements from each other

but then transformed them into new art.

That's not plagiarism. It's more like one big...

(MAN) R-r-r-remix!

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And that's something all great artists do.

Shakespeare wrote "Romeo and Juliet"

after he read an epic poem called "Romeus and Juliet."

Huh.

Watch out, Stratford-upon-Avon!

Your boy the Bard is about to do it again!

Of course, hip-hop has elevated sampling to an art form,

which follows in the tradition of Mozart, who borrowed music

from a Viennese opera to write "The Magic Flute."

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Even classic films do it.

George Lucas created "Star Wars" by borrowing elements

from everything, from mythology to Samurai movies

to Flash Gordon serials from the 1930s.

Those films were shot first.

See? Throughout history,

remixing and adapting the works of the past

has been an essential creative tool for pushing art forward.

But that's the opposite of everything I've been taught here.

Are you sure about that?

Kinda seems like your instructor's just been

pushing you to do what he wants and that's not very original.

What is this?

I know, Professor. I didn't even mean to...

(CLAPS HANDS)

(CLAPPING)

This is worthy of Le Gallerie de Pretensi�n.

Really? You think it's good enough?

Oh, yes.

Such raw emotion.

You can really feel the artist's...

Seething rage? Yes.

This must be in tonight's show!

My painting is going to be up in the same gallery

as the great Flamian Flurst.

I can't believe that.

Uh, don't get too excited.

Because the fine art market

is just one big price-fixing scheme.

No. You do not get to ruin this for me.

I'm going to that opening tonight.

Well, hope you got a plus-one.

That's it, Vinny.

Time to lay off the absinthe.

?

Ooh!

My painting is in the same gallery as a Jeff Spoons!

And an Angsty!

There's Marinara Abramowitz!

Oh, my grackle, that is Flamian Flurst.

A crab surrounded by Vaseline.

It's exquisite, isn't it?

Mr. Flurst, you have outdone yourself.

Sycophants surround me.

I need a fresh eye.

You. Nothing girl.

- Me? - What do you think?

Uh, well, it certainly is a crab.

In Vaseline?

I love the candor of normals.

No, I'm not a normal!

I'm an artist!

You have insulted Mr. Flurst.

This is a masterpiece.

It just sold for 5 billion.

Of course it did. It's brilliant.

Oh, it's performance art!

These rich snobs don't know more about art than you.

They're mostly just here to make money.

Oh!

We're told that art like this is so expensive

because it's the best in the world.

But the fact is, you're looking at a massive price-fixing scheme

that benefits wealthy collectors and excludes artists like you.

Adam, shush it!

The prices here are high because the art is objectively good.

Nope. The prices are high because

a small group of galleries and collectors decided it was good,

and once they do that,

the price goes up, whether or not anyone else agrees.

You. Paint something.

(GASPS)

I declare this valuable art.

Go find more cubed meat.

We're gonna be rich.

(CHUCKLES)

Well, outsider art is a rich tradition.

How much is this worth?

There's no way to tell.

Big galleries actually keep their prices a secret

so they can change them depending on who the buyer is.

For you, my friend, ten grand,

and for you, my enemy, 200 grand.

And they do their best to keep out buyers

who are considered elites.

Daniel Radcliffe once tried to buy a fancy painting,

but he was denied when the dealer told him

he was waiting for a more prestigious collector.

For you? Not for sale.

Please, sir.

I just want one painting that doesn't talk to me.

Why are you doing this to me?

Because if the gallery only sells to art world elites,

they'll be seen as a better brand,

which means all of their other paintings will be worth more.

Ah.

(CASH REGISTERS DINGING)

Hmm. That is shady behavior.

Well, luckily, we outsiders could just go to art auctions.

They're democratic open markets where anyone can buy.

Sorry, but the major auction houses

are just as rigged as the galleries.

(POUNDS GAVEL)

Auctions play all sorts of dirty tricks to drive their prices up,

like straight up paying people to bid.

Let's start the bidding at $4 million.

- Do I see 4 million? - (SNORING)

4 million.

And if the bidding is too slow,

auctioneers even use a practice called chandelier bidding.

They just point to a random spot above everyone's heads

and pretend to see a bid.

And I see 5 million from the bidder in the back,

she's my girlfriend who you don't know 'cause she lives in Canada.

Whoop, she's back across the border, so don't turn around.

Oh, whatever. Six million.

Why are you okay with this?

Oh, simple, darling.

I own other paintings by this artist,

so when this one sells high,

it increases the value of my entire collection.

Sometimes we even bid anonymously

to drive up the price.

Up next, we have a fine comdiment-based work

from an emerging artist.

Ooh!

I want to bid on this one.

We should all bid on this one.

Let's start the bidding at $7 million.

This shady market can also be manipulated by crooks who use it

to defraud the government and launder dirty money.

Hello.

I would like to buy a painting from your fine gallery

using legitimate cash moneys.

The red is... paint.

But not all collectors are crooks.

I mean, there's good people out there

who donate their collections to museums.

Sure, and that seems very charitable,

until you remember that that donation is also a tax write-off.

And here's where it can get really shady.

The collectors hire their own appraisers

to determine the value of the art they donate,

so they can use it as one big tax dodge.

You owe 40 million in taxes this year.

Ugh!

What if I donate this painting worth 40 million?

At the end of the day, this is what the fine art market is.

A few rich people passing money around.

No! No! Then I want no part of this!

Screw this gallery and screw this opening!

I will make it in the fine art world on my own.

Sorry, that's not really how it works.

Persephone, this is Allison Schrager.

She's an economist and journalist at Quartz

who has reported on the fine art market.

Not only is the fine art world manipulated financially,

it's also extremely exclusive.

Only a small share of artists are allowed to succeed

and only their work is considered valuable.

And those aren't necessarily the best artists.

Often, they're just the ones who are best at

marketing themselves and at playing the gallery game.

One art dealer I spoke with even admitted

that the art you buy in the street

is cheaper and often just as good,

it's just not as prestigious,

so big collectors in museums just aren't interested in it.

And that means this small group of ultra wealthy investors

ends up defining what fine art is.

So the fine art world is all a lie,

and it's all about money

and who gets into this stupid snobby club?

More or less.

That's it!

I just wanted to make something true and original and good!

But I don't know what's good and originality is fake!

And art has nothing to do with truth!

I can't do this anymore!

I'm just gonna drop out of art school

and get an MBA like my dad wanted!

Wait!

(CRASH)

Hey! Performance art!

I'm done trying to be a great artist.

If it's all about money,

then why didn't I just go to business school?

Next time I'm in a gallery, it'll be with my finance bros

picking out d�cor for my cigar room.

Persephone, please don't quit.

You can still be a great artist.

I want to make art that people will see.

Art that matters.

Well, despite what a few pretentious rich guys want you to think,

the fine art market doesn't matter.

Art is so much more than that.

In fact, it's all around us.

Movies, TV, music, video games, graffiti, comic books.

It's all art.

I thought that was all just commercial crap.

Yeah, well, yesterday's commercial crap

is today's fine art.

You know, in the 19th century, opera was pop music

and Shakespeare was originally theater for the masses.

Some of the greatest art ever made was commercial.

The point is, stop letting other people tell you

what is and isn't worth making.

It doesn't matter if you're painting abstract impressionism

or drawing comic books.

If what you make comes from the heart

and brings joy to other people,

then you're making great art.

Huh.

Makes sense.

Adam, would you mind popping back up there for me?

I want to sketch something out really quick.

Really? Sure.

Suit on this time or...

- Yes, please. - Of course.

Oh, no, Persephone.

You've gone backwards.

How will want these doodles?

You're embarrassing me in front of Flamian.

This is... awesome.

Is it yours?

Reminds of me Jack Kirby.

You read comics?

Ever since I was a boy.

Is it for sale?

I'm afraid not.

I can respect that.

You know, I have a friend at Marvel

who's looking for a new artist.

Maybe I'll give him a call.

You know, Flamian, I've always found

the comic arts extremely potent!

Wow, cool!

I always wondered what it would be like to have a muscle.

Here, Adam. I want you to have this.

To say thank you.

I don't know what to say.

I know!

I insist you have my masterpiece.

Oh!

Oh...

Oh, I think I see some shrimp over there! I'll be right back.

I understand.

I also like shrimp.

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