Let It Be Long
Holland Cotter has come to the rescue of artists over 31 years old everywhere! No sooner had we beat the drums here about collectors who only want work by infants, than the always admirable Mr. Cotter offers the following:
"Don't trust anyone over 30" was the street wisdom I grew up with.I feel the need to issue the same caveat: My interest in new art is as intense as it ever was, but I do think that artists who have experience are undervalued in the current market, and that makes no sense to me at all. After reviewing a handful of current exhibitions by more experienced artists, Holland closes with this gem:
I still find that excellent advice. But my faith in youthful inspiration has been tested recently; by art, of all things, or rather by the art world's fixation on barely-out-of-school talent.
Not that my interest in new art has in any way diminished. It hasn't. Still, these days I find my attention drawn to the not-so-new, to artists who are in midcareer and beyond, sometimes far beyond. Many such artists are in evidence in galleries and museums this month, and I'll mention a handful below, among them a posthumous hero, a poet-turned-artist, an octogenarian debutante. They have one thing in common: their work has developed over time and maintained its presence for a number of years. In a fast-food culture, as capricious in its erasures as in its rewards, that's the vote of confidence that counts.
So wisdom comes with age after all. And what can it tell young artists ready to dash out of school? Don't just do something; sit there. Art takes time. Let your brilliant career have a middle, and a late period, and an end. Let it be long.Indeed.
posted by Edward_ at
11:29 AM
17 Comments:
Thanks for bringing attention to this Ed. I'm a a young artist and even I'm annoyed by the fadish attention youngsters get, because I am accutely aware of artists who have been at it for 30 years doing incredible things! I almost want to defer my invitations to shows to them who deserve it more.
"Art takes time. Let your brilliant career have a middle, and a late period, and an end. Let it be long."
Right On!
Astonishing how much un-ready-to-be-seen art is on display. Almost always, when I check a bio for clearly underdeveloped work, the MFA is roughly yesterday.
What collectors are being told about this stuff?
"Slapdash: It's the New Masterful?"
I hope Mr. Cotter will speak loudly and enunciate.
It won't be long before dealers are stampeding to sign underecognized artists from the occupational therapy rooms of nursing homes everywhere. Geezers rejoice!
Love that this is being said.
I was very refreshed when you had David Humphrey as an artist of the week-very wonderful and edgy work by a... gasp...50 year old!! We need to pay attention to good art always - regardless of the creators stats.
A good article, but the slide show of works could have included more than, what was it, one(?) piece more recent than the 1970s. I pay attention to new art as well, that is art by the young, but any day I'd rather see new art by an 'experienced' artist. Art and people are more interesting when they have a history.
Old is the new young...?
New hardcore french writer:
"Idéologiquement Cash/Chiotte
L'aplat de niaiseries répandu sur le texte a empêché de dévoiler la puissance colérique des propos en général. Une sorte de philosophie en parfaite adéquation avec l'époque. Ni avant-garde, ni conservatisme."
To be continued: http://hirsute.hautetfort.com
New hardcore french writer:
"Idéologiquement Cash/Chiotte
L'aplat de niaiseries répandu sur le texte a empêché de dévoiler la puissance colérique des propos en général. Une sorte de philosophie en parfaite adéquation avec l'époque. Ni avant-garde, ni conservatisme."
To be continued: http://hirsute.hautetfort.com
Geezers rejoice!
So flippant, pc. If you only knew of the beautiful origami that can be fashioned with Depends! Diapogami.
I've quietly been buying mid-career artists over the past few years (partly because I can't afford new right-out-of-school artists.)
The current market isn't really about buying art -- it's about buying potential. A 20-something has the potential to be a star. By the time he or she is mid career, collectors figure that if it hasn't happened by now, it never will.
But for people interested in the art itself, now is a great time to be collecting. "Old" artists are definitely undervalued.
Thanks for posting this, Edward. It is something that really needed to be said. Of course youth and newness are seductive, & associated with the idea of an avant garde, always oh-so-sexy. But wouldn't it be nice if the current fixation on the great masses of undercooked work by recent grads was waning... do we think a paradigm shift is afoot? hope so.
The examples in the multimedia show did seem to be weirdly outdated... and I found myself wishing he had focused more on over-40 artists whose work is more contemporary & exciting. In some ways, focusing on Jules Olitski's old work and Felix G-T (dead) undermined his thesis.
Adam Cvijanovic is my favorite example of someone who has become "hot" later-ish in life. He's had a really interesting career arc. Nicole Eisenman has a show coming up... it'll be interesting to see how it's received.
Didn't see the slideshow, but the latest Olitski over at Paul Kasmin's place is not a compelling argument for anything, in my opinion. It seems to attenuate his strengths, efface them, rather than reminding you of them.
People have funny ideas about what's contemporary. When the new MOMA opened they had a show on the top floor, "Contemporary Voices." Featured a big Twombly from 1977.
Wonderful post. Thank you (coming from a mid-career and not famous artist).
As Lisa pointed out, the idea seems to be that if you haven't made it big by a certain age, you won't at all.
Of course one's idea of 'making it' changes all the time but nonetheless....
I don't believe it.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Thank God people feel differently. I am almost 30 and feel like Im just getting started.
Outstanding!! Thank you so much for posting this Edward. As a 40+ previous business women, just graduating from art school and starting a new career, this is very inspirational. And after reading article after article about "emerging" young artists, finally someone has come to our rescue.
Late to the party. Appropo? Anyways, like a good sappy greeting card, this post just made my day.
His closing paragraph brought to mind that Spiritualized song:
"Sometimes...
I like to sit around. I'm just contemplating sitting 'round. I could lay in bed. Like my mama said, 'don't just do something. sit around instead.'"
one of my fav's
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