Can you separate art from the artist ?

That is to say, can you appreciate art for its own sake, even if its artist is revealed to be despicable personally, for example, someone who was an excellent musician, actor ot producer but committed sexual assault, cheated on partners, was openly anti-Semitic or racist ?

If some ills are more acceptable to you than others, where do you draw the line ?

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Muthafukajones · 46-50, M

Art is separate from the artist. I had an argument years ago with a woman about a singer.

Apparently he beats his wives and gfs.

She won’t listen to his music because of that.

I don’t see what his relationships have to do with the music he makes.

bijouxbroussard · F

@Muthafukajones I guess the question could be asked about Bill Cosby, too, but plenty of people aren’t keeping that separate. I have a friend whose line of demarcation is "I won’t help keep a bad person wealthy, but a dead person can’t profit". So he boycotted Michael Jackson until Jackson died.