The documentary has impressive access to contemporary art world figures, but comes up with no good solutions for the many problems it discusses.
Jerry Saltz
What Do Art Critics Actually Do?
Artists, collectors, curators, and dealers are all needed for the system to function, but the role of critics is up for grabs.
Back When Painting Was Dead
When Clement Greenberg, Frank Stella, and Donald Judd tried to define what makes a painting, they overlooked a central feature — capaciousness.
Trying (and Failing) to Make Painting Great Again
Here’s the thing about the Make Painting Great Again exhibition at Canada Gallery: I honestly dislike it.
Who Has the Cure for “Zombie Formalism”?
Since the artist and critic Walter Robinson wrote his now-(in)famous post “Flipping and the Rise of Zombie Formalism” in Artspace this past April, there has been an outpouring of writers, bloggers, and Facebook comment jockeys who have opined on the subject.
Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons and the Culture of Hyperbole
Recently, I read a statement by Kenneth Turan, film critic for the LA Times, that struck a chord. As a poet and art critic, it is impossible to ignore the reams of exaggeration I am bombarded with on a daily basis, from blurbs attesting to the gorgeous mastery to be found in a young poet’s first book to the unrivaled brilliance to be encountered in an artist’s most recent exhibition.
Art School’s Pulp Fiction Moment
Thank you, Jerry Saltz, for sharing this classic pulp fiction book cover on Twitter. It really puts art school into a real context.
The Infantile World of Paul McCarthy
The Seventh Regiment Armory, constructed at the end of the 19th century, was and remains the only such military structure funded by private monies, a final excess of the Gilded Age. It’s easy to read an obscene vulgarity into the opulence of its architecture, though we are reminded that it was meant to house the first volunteer militia responding to Abraham Lincoln’s call to arms twenty years earlier; it’s a spiritual birthplace of the Union Army. Out of noble purpose many excesses are forgiven.
Jerry Saltz Slams Tonight’s Auction of Edvard Munch’s Scream
Today, New York Magazine critic Jerry Saltz appeared on CBS This Morning to discuss tonight’s Sotheby’s auction of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” Saltz isn’t a fan of the circus surrounding tonight’s sale and he dislikes that the chatter is mostly about the projected price tag and not the art itself.
ArtPrize Artist Registration Now Open, Jurors Revealed
Artist registration is open now for the fourth annual ArtPrize. Part art competition, part social experiment, the event overtakes downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country.
Designed to be a simple yet transformative experience for both artist and audience, ArtPrize is a platform on which artists are given absolute freedom to experiment, collaborate and explore new ideas. Artist registration is open at www.artprize.org now through May 24.
Why Occupy Wall Street Deserved AFCRPAAaA’s Best Jerry Award
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I had a great deal of fun at last night’s Art Fag City Rob Pruitt Art Awards and Auction (AFCRPAAaA) and I was happy to be a part of it and see Occupy Wall Street receive the Best Jerry Award from Jerry Saltz himself.