ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a sociological discussion of Thomas Kuhn’s notion of ‘paradigm’ and how far it can be applied to ‘artistic revolutions,’ in particular to contemporary art, conceived as a ‘pluralized paradigm of liminal experimentation,’ which systematically challenges the conventional boundaries of art. Accordingly, some recurring differences between scientific and artistic activity are pointed out, as well as the important similarities between them. Finally, the chapter provides a discussion on contemporary art as an ‘artistic revolution,’ and its experimental propensity to play with the boundaries of what is considered art, if not the notion of art itself and its very existence. In this perspective, the author argues that the history of science may help us understand the history of art, while art provides an interesting test for this major epistemological concept.
