Q. What do these two suits have in common?

A. The suit on the left (made of felt) is the work of Joseph Beuys and the suit on the right (worn by David Byrne in the film Stop Making Sense) is a reference to Beuys’ original suit. The work of Joseph Beuys is complex beyond what can be explained here except to say that he used felt in many of his conceptual pieces as a symbol of spiritual protection and played with the idea that inanimate objects have magical qualities. Byrne has extended (and paid homage) to this idea by creating a suit that “grows” while he is performing. Byrne’s suit, like Beuys’ symbolic original, has a life of its own. This reference is included because it is somewhat different from the other references to fine art in popular culture which have been discussed previously. Byrne, himself a fine artist, is not “borrowing” from Bueys, he is referencing and extending the original idea…and essentially having a “conversation” with the original work of art.