Add to ORKGThis partial painting of a face was part of the 1978 protest exhibition at the Association of Arts in Pretoria. This painting was used by Coetzee as a backboard for another painting titled Bridesmaid. It is commonly known that Coetzee presented three such exhibitions, of which the 1978 exhibition was the last. He took exception to the idea that the public and art critics appreciated and valued art only for its beauty, as opposed to the quality of the artwork. In protest, he physically painted them all black, and similarly handed out black bags for the audience to wear. When asked why he had 'destroyed' the artworks, the reply was that the painting is still there, just not visible and likewise that the beauty of the artwork should be t...