LOUISE BOURGEOIS - 1911-2010
In my humble opinion, America has lost one of its foremost artists. In the pantheon of distinguished minds; those who are set apart for their vision, their perception of the common thread, their prescient awareness of universal truths; Bourgeois stands in legion with any of those minds who consistently rose above the fray and enlightened us.
I had the privilege of meeting her and being in her company. I remember once attending a reception in her honor at the residence of Robert Miller (her former dealer) in New York after the opening of her gallery exhibit. The residence was elegant and grand, the kind you see in glossy layouts and the guest list included the who's who at the time of the New York art world and international society. The event was catered and there was polite conversation and casual touring of the rooms filled with monumental examples of art from various periods along with unique examples of designer furnishings. All the men wore suit and ties, the women in fashionable cocktail dress for a 9 PM event. I was there as the curator for a private collection. Not knowing many of the guests, I hung out with the gallery staff and found myself sitting on the curved stairway with champagne in one hand and a saucer of finger foods balanced on my knee taking n the sights. Appropriately after everyone else was there, Ms. Bourgeois arrived and made her entrance or should I say followed protocol and showed up to the event that she neither solicited or particularly cared for. She was already in her early seventies, spry and gracious in a 'grandmotherly' way. But obviously sharp as a tack and surveying all that was in front of her with a polite detachment. She was dressed not like no one else. She wore what can only be described as worker clothes. Flats, slacks, a type of Mandarin jacket all of plain cloth and shades of navy, as I recall. What I do remember is her face. No makeup, gray hair pulled severely back and her head topped with a merchant sailors cap. She was a small woman but stood rod straight and was polite. As the congratulations settled and everyone went about their respective schmoozing, I looked up and saw that Ms. Bourgeois was spending the evening that was specifically in her honor chasing the Miller's cat from room to room.
On the surface, this sounds like an inconsequential story of a less than superstar persona. On the contrary, it exemplifies why I consider Bourgeois just such a superstar and at the forefront of American art history. It is that ability to focus on one's purpose and stand apart from all that is part of the 'norm', the 'expected', the 'defined'.
"I have a religious temperament," Ms. Bourgeois, a professed atheist, said about the emotional and spiritual energy that she poured into her work. " I have not been educated to use it. I'm afraid of power. It makes me nervous. In real life, I identify with the victim. That's why I went into art." - Holland Carter, NYT
"Where many artists who incorporate their biographies become slaves to them, and flog them in cloying ways, Bourgeois was always removed and skeptical, as filled with anger as she was with wit and incredulity." - Jerry Saltz, Artnet
"Obviously, sadly, we will not hear her speak again. She has spoken so much, so loudly: her work will long yell, powerful and strong, as everybody has acknowledged. Powerful in proportion to her extreme fragility." -Frederique Joseph-Lowery, Artnet
2. WORK OF ART - THE NEXT GREAT ARTIST (Bravo, Wednesday, 8 PM)
Caveat: I hate "reality TV". Pretentious, self-serving and embarrassing. What it lacks in good taste (manners) it more than compensates with self-satisfying ego fantasies.
Did I mention I hate reality TV?
"Work of Art" is the brainchild of executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker (!) whose sister-in-law is a supposedly an artists based in NY.
The program follows the same generic format as any other of the other "win by elimination" programs - just drop in your chosen profession: model, fashion designer, chef, interior designer, ad nauseum.
While I will admit to an occasional vicarious thrill in watching these only to see if anyone really has talent, I am always struck by the level of mediocrity of the sum of the contestants. But, then again, if one did have talent why would you waste them or need to exploit them within the context of these shows.
For the life of me I couldn't figure out how this format would apply to an hour segment focusing on artists. What would you compete at? Best use of oil paint as the primary medium? Original use of a dead shark? It would be as banal as proposing an academy awards program for the arts (something I will admit to inventing and playing as an undergraduate for my amusement).
The reality is not so far off. So far we have had "portrait of your fellow competitor" and "design the paperback cover for a classic novel" (yes, I have been watching - hoping for a glimmer of entertaining spontaneity and bemoaning the fact that I will never have those minutes back (so far, the best line was in the first episode when Sarah Parker was introduced and one of the contestants had no idea who she was)). The idea that you could propose these arbitrary 'projects' to artists as if an artist is an unlimited repository of resources to address any tangential arm of the visual arts only festers the false notion of creating art as a 'job' with specific criteria within a defined time frame.
The more egregious element is that none of the contestants are really that good. Some are competent but no one addresses a unique style and/or intellectual comprehension of what they are doing or why. They are, of course, chosen to create a 'drama'. Snarky put downs, one-liners and personal behavior that is otherwise obnoxious or obsequious. One woman remarks "I am not responsible for your experience of my work" ?!
What all this hopes to accomplish is beyond me. The 'winner' gets $10,000 from Prismacolor (what they would have to gain by this promotion is anyone's guess) and a solo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (which warrants a whole other editorial on the Role and Purpose of the Museum in America Today)
