Modernism raises the pressing question of "who did it first," with a drive that tends, before something is even created and presented, to confront it with the "crisis of history." About a hundred years later, the postmodern condition would invalidate the discussion. "Everything has happened before." How much can one artwork resemble another? Surely, in our era, most artworks resemble others. We accept this almost silently. But how far can this similarity go? Can everything become similar? We live in a time where copies are so widespread that we speak of a "planet of copies."

Is originality important to people? Was it ever? Is it still? How deeply rooted is this concept in cultural discourse? This book will attempt to explore these questions through the historical circumstances that brought us to where we are today and seeks to sense the next stage.