Art | June 02, 2021
Clash: Punk’s Influence on Contemporary Art
Clash: Punk’s Influence on Contemporary Art
Kristine Somerville
Punk rock isn’t something you grow out of. Punk rock is an
attitude, and the essence of that attitude is “give us some truth.”
—Joe Strummer, the Clash
The punk movement burned bright for four years beginning with Television’s performance at CBGB in the Bowery in 1974 and then flaming out in 1978 with ex-Sex Pistol Sid Vicious’s murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen and his overdose four months later. During that brief period, there were iconic albums by the Clash and the Sex Pistols in London and the Ramones, Patti Smith, and Suicide in New York. There was also the slashed, shredded, and zippered fashion of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, who crystalized and commercialized punk fashion at their boutique SEX at King’s Road.
If you are a student, faculty member, or staff member at an institution whose library subscribes to Project Muse, you can read this piece and the full archives of the Missouri Review for free. Check this list to see if your library is a Project Muse subscriber.
Want to read more?
Subscribe TodaySEE THE ISSUE
SUGGESTED CONTENT
Art
May 16 2022
Transformations: Creating Character in Contemporary Photography
Transformations: Creating Character in Contemporary Photography Kristine Somerville Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view… read more
Art
Jan 05 2022
The Art of Indifference: Duchamp and the Legacy of Readymades
The Art of Indifference: Duchamp and the Legacy of Readymades I believe art is the only form of activity in which man shows himself to be a true individual. —… read more
Art
Aug 18 2021
The Charm Offensive: Magritte’s Influence on Contemporary Art
The Charm Offensive: Magritte’s Influence on Contemporary Art Kristine Somerville “All I know of hope, I place in love.” —René Magritte During the World War II, René Magritte aimed… read more