7 ArtWorks That Literally Changed the World

All works of art create change and push existing ideas in new directions and into new dimensions, but there are some works of art that have emerged at the right time, fueled by a changing world, a visionary mind or a powerful new collective movement. These art pieces have the potential to radically change the art world and the world at large. While there are many works we could choose from, we narrowed the list down to seven works of art. We hope that each of these pieces of art will pique your interest.

Marcel Duchamp fountain
What better way to start this list than with the Duchamp Fountain? Widely considered a turning point in modern and conceptual art, Marcel Duchamp created Fountain in 1917. The artist transformed our aesthetic view of a urinal by turning it upside down, signing “R. Mutt” and submitting the piece to the Society of Independent Artists exhibition in New York, although it was never exhibited. By choosing an ordinary prefabricated object, Duchamp tested prevailing assumptions about the definition of art and the tenets of the Society of Independent Artists in New York itself. The Fountain was conceptual, in that its quality and artistic value came in large part from its ability to make viewers think, have open conversations, and disagree about what it meant. Today, the piece is seen as an important milestone in the development of conceptual art and a great starting point for future artists. Through the Source, Marcel Duchamp also introduced Readymade, an art form characterized by the use of pre-made and found objects that are transformed by the artist.

The Horse in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge
Galloping Horse is unique on this list as it represents a revolution in the arts and sciences! Muybridge was an early researcher in the field of photography and is known for his work in motion capture. He pioneered the use of several different cameras at the same time to capture movement in stop-motion frames, as well as the zoopraxiscope, which allowed him to quickly project images one after the other to give the viewer the illusion of a moving image.
Galloping Horse was a breakthrough in motion photography as it captured every fraction of a horse's galloping movement, allowing people to see in full and glorious detail something that happens too fast for the human eye. For the first time, it was possible to see how a horse moved and show with certainty that a horse's hooves never left the ground at the same time.

Guernica de Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso he was a revolutionary artist in many ways, mainly because he established the characteristics of the cubist movement. The famous play Guernica byPablo Picasso, is iconic for its Cubist specificity but also for being proof of the power and influence that a painting can have on public sentiment and political will. Guernica is a massive and chilling representation of the bombing of the city of Guernica, by Spanish nationalists and carried out by the Nazis and Italian Fascists. The painting reflects the somber atmosphere of the brutality of war, violence, death, fire and dismemberment, through the figures and the monochrome grays and monochrome blacks.Pablo Picasso painted Guernica to be shown in an exhibition dedicated to the anti-fascist cause in Spain, that is, with the intention of defeating the Franco regime. It is regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war paintings or pieces of art ever created and is a beloved symbol of justice.

7,000 Oak Trees by Joseph Beuys
7,000 Oak Trees is a key development in the field of environmentally focused art and marks the beginning of an entire conceptual performance movement that seeks to address the environmental cause. Joseph Beuys was a mid-20th-century German artist known for his conceptual art pieces, which sometimes included a performance element. 7,000 Oak Trees was a response to the urbanization that accompanied the destruction of natural habitats in Kassel, Germany. Over several years, Beuys worked with Kasselers to plant 7,000 oak trees in the city, each accompanied by a monolithic basalt stone. More than just an ecological intervention, 7,000 Oaks was a symbolic beginning for the growing German environmental movement. As the trees grew and aged, so did environmental awareness and the perception of how a population changes the ecosystem.

Rhythm 0 of Marina abramovic
Marina Abramovic was one of the first innovative feminist performance artists, who pushed the boundaries of bodily endurance and social norms, all in the interest of questioning the social position of women in the world. Ritmo 0 is one of his most famous and shocking works, and was staged in 1974. Marina Abramovic stood next to a table that had 72 objects on it, from flowers to a gun. For 6 hours, Marina Abramovic invited spectators to act freely and without limits with the objects and the artist herself. freedom. Initially, the audience was kind and restrained, however as time went on, spectators felt more and more outside the normal limits of social behavior and cut off their clothes, and eventually an audience member held a gun to their head. . Other spectators intervened and began to argue. This powerful performance explored themes such as objectification, control and power.

Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons
Whether you hate him or love him, Jeff Koons the artist made his mark on the art world. In the same way that Marcel Duchamp tested the limits of art with The Fountain, Jeff Koons has pushed the boundaries throughout his career as an artist. Through his work, Jeff Koons asks whether art should be made by the artist or if it can be designed by an artist and made ad infinitum by a workshop. Can art be manufactured on a large scale? Can it be sold for millions of euros? When does art stop being art and become marketing or advertising? Balloon Dog is a perfect example of the ethical issues that Koons' practice expresses. Balloon Dog was created by Koons in 1994 for an exhibition called Celebration. Since then, it has reincarnated in countless colors, sizes and poses, earning this piece millions of euros for Jeff Koon. You'll likely recognize this iconic piece from museum gift shops, TV shows or even magazines.