Category: visual

New generation of women artists are the “so-called Bad Girls, the latest cool school in the art world. Defying the rules of sisterhood, they elevate high-school stereotypes – the slut, the bimbo, the messed-up chick – into the realm of art.” – New York Times Magazine

The impact of international art surveys like Pittsburgh’s Carnegie International showcasing installation artists has been diluted by the proliferation of such shows and a somewhat static cast of artists. Still, there was much to ponder at this year’s edition. – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

No one disputes Peter Eisenman’s talents as an architect. But “Eisenman has defined his position in theoretical, abstract and academic terms that defy comprehension by a general audience. The audience, in turn, has responded by wondering why it should care.” Six new designs should tip the balance of his reputation. – New York Times

English museums increasingly allow visitors to take pictures, maintaining that camera flashes don’t damage artwork. Is this true? Not exactly – at minimum it ruins the possibility of a contemplative moment. And the cumulative physical effects of ultraviolet light are uncertain. – The Telegraph (UK)

John Pawson is the king of reductive design. “His work, which ranges from the high Zen Cathay Pacific lounge in the Hong Kong airport to the groovy chic of the Wakenabe and Wagamama restaurants in London, is so reduced to the essential, it ventures beyond the old Mies van der Rohe saw ‘less is more’ into a kind of New Age sacred space.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

Venerable Sotheby’s got the Dotcom bug last week and went online. But galleries sell elitism, says one gallery director. “It’s a very, very private club intended not to let people in, and if it gets too big, collectors won’t want to be a part of it any more.” A risk of taking the business online? – The Economist

Was it art’s “difficult characters?” The big-money 80’s art markets? “The biggest part of the problem may be the front-of-the-book/back-of-the-book structure that ghettoizes all arts coverage, whether news or reviews, in the back pages or special sections. But news is news, and the art(s) worlds are huge industries that demand far more sophisticated news coverage than they receive.” – Media Channel

Lawrence Rinder, a respected Bay Area curator who directs the exhibitions program at the California College of Arts and Crafts, has been named curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, succeeding Lisa Phillips, who left the Whitney to become director of the New Museum in Manhattan. – San Francisco Chronicle

Hilton Kramer’s had an advance peek at a description of some of the art to be included in the upcoming Whitney Biennial. And he’s not amused. Or maybe that’s exactly what he is… – New York Observer

Somerset House in the heart of London was an extravagant public gesture built at the end of the 18th Century to house civil servants. Now it is being transformed into a public drawing room of culture. – The Telegraph (UK)