Abstract art grandmasters score like class D amateurs

TL;DR

This paper compares the perceived quality of abstract art by grandmasters to that of amateurs, suggesting that top artists score similarly to low-rated amateurs based on art students' judgments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel comparison between art expertise and chess ratings, revealing that renowned abstract artists are judged similarly to low-level amateurs.

Findings

Art students favor abstract art by grandmasters 67% of the time.

Grandmasters' art quality scores are comparable to class D amateur chess players.

The study challenges assumptions about the superiority of renowned abstract art.

Abstract

Hawley-Dolan and Winner had asked the art students to compare paintings by abstract artists with paintings made by a child or by an animal. In 67% of the cases, art students said that the painting by a renowned artist is better. I compare this with the winning probability of the chessplayers of different ratings. I conclude that the great artists score on the level of class D amateurs.