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# Let's Play Google Art Critic!
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/lets-play-google-art-critic/
- Published: 2012-07-24T23:17:15.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:36:27.000Z
- Description: Last week, I was playing around on my gadgets and inadvertently discovered that Google has an opinion on everything including art.
- Author: Hrag Vartanian
- Tags: Art, Art Criticism, Google, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 06:51 (2012, 2013, part 1)

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/google_art_critic-home.jpg "google_art_critic-HOME")](http://googlelogorockpainting.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/google-logo-rock-painting-paris/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Last week, I was playing around on my gadgets and inadvertently discovered that Google has an opinion [on](http://followgram.me/i/237920205841810588%5F8371456?ref=hyperallergic.com) [art](http://followgram.me/i/238195166821139982%5F8371456?ref=hyperallergic.com). So I decided to ask the **all knowing algorithm** about some art figures to see Mountain View’s perspective on artists.

First, what I discovered in this absurd but surprisingly fun process. This “game” doesn’t work well with all artists (it works best with the really famous ones). Also, it doesn’t work for artists with common names (sorry, Fred Wilson). And finally, even for the more renowned artists it works best for contemporary artists, particularly those who foster controversy (Banksy, Tracey Emin, etc.).

Dear Google:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/picasso-google-critic.jpg "picasso-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/matisse-google-critic.jpg "matisse-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/kahlo-google-critic.jpg "kahlo-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/pollock-google-critic.jpg "pollock-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/rothko-google-critic.jpg "rothko-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/warhol-google-critic.jpg "warhol-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/beuys-google-critic.jpg "beuys-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/koons-google-critic.jpg "koons-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/bourgeois-google-critic.jpg "bourgeois-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/sherman-google-critic.jpg "sherman-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/banksy-google-critic.jpg "banksy-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/basquiat-google-critic.jpg "basquiat-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/hirst-google-critic.jpg "hirst-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/emin-google-critic.jpg "emin-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/abramovic-google-critic.jpg "abramovic-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/fairey-google-critic.jpg "fairey-google-critic")

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/weiwei-google-critic.jpg "weiwei-google-critic")

Sure, art critics are not the gatekeepers they once were, but I don’t think we have anything to fear from Google or [Bing](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/07/pollock-bing-critic.png?ref=hyperallergic.com) … yet.