Category: Reading

John McWhinnie wrote this message to his friend David Matterhorn, it was read at his memorial, it’s so great, read it here:
“o.k matterhorn? It’s just my opinion, just one man’s opinion, just the man’s opinion, just The Man’s opinion – and so thought of that way, doesn’t need to be given much heed, except that it comes from me, the Man Who Is To Be Heeded because he is… Read more

Read this interesting assessment of Cattelan’s retirement by his friend, the heavyweight curator Francesco Bonami, in Artforum. I think it’s a loving and insightful look. One thing, however, is missed, in my view, which is the very point I missed when I did my own review of the show in the Observer. Cattelan has always played the outsider-insider of the art world, but now with multi-million dollar prices and a… Read more

George W. Bush “[A] bone to pick, some grizzle to chew”—nice! Richard Pevear is a grown-up. He’s well known as the translator, with his wife Larissa Volokonsky, of a big bunch of Russian books. Thirty years ago he published two books of poems: Night Talk and Other Poems, and Exchanges. This is from Exchanges: “In folk tales, what we’ve come to consider the human world, the REAL real world, is… Read more

Peter Schjeldahl is a good writer… in his last review he explained to us why Maurizio Cattelan is NOT an artist. I know Cattelan, he is many things… good or bad he’s definitely an artist. Now, in his Hirst review he again reveals his blindest spot, an artist engaging the art market. That’s why he writes sentences like: “The pleasures of indignation tend to be spoiled, for Americans, by obvious… Read more

Read Roberta Smith’s well-written description of the Hirst “Spot Paintings” show; though it plays to both the Hirst fans and Hirst foes, it does both extremely well. It’s almost like Damien got so big he’s bigger than any critic’s review, so it can only be described as a phenomenon, a fact , a spectacle, a news item, it’s beyond “good” or “bad”, and that is something to think about. The… Read more

You once asked me to narrate the tale of how my once illustrious, but now tragically fallen, family played a role in the first thanksgiving and to give you an account of how thanksgiving truly began. That day I refused your request: but it is clear to me that rumors of the hidden shame my family brought upon our young nation has escaped from our small circle of friends and… Read more

John, I can’t believe this tragedy for all your friends and fans, we miss you, we want you back.… Read more

Read Roberta Smith’s confused review of this new museum. She doesn’t even address the main issues. For instance, what is the meaning of creating a brand new anthological style museum in 2012 that is doomed to fail? And how much money was spent? Have they done a good, bad or indifferent job? Then there’s the weird final paragraph where she starts lecturing about how art is not simply the plaything… Read more

Months late, Randy Kennedy tries to summarize the issues surrounding the Richard Prince litigation. He does a nice job, but misses the point, because the fact is that this litigation is about Prince making a lot of money, which is what has made him a target. I’ve spoken to Prince, Carriou and his lawyer… reread my article here. All those artists out there ripping images off the net will… Read more

Wow, read this surreal apology where Saltz makes bizarre excuses for appearing on an idiotic TV show for 2 seasons, and undermining what little credibility he had. He claims he won’t do it again(I guess they fired him?)And then he likens himself to a Moby Dick survivor? This Jonah’s been swallowed by the whale long ago -Hey bro’, thou doth protest too much! I have a good idea for this… Read more