art criticism

Germany - die tageszeitung
The dwindling influence of the art critic
The editor in chief of Vogue magazine can make or break the careers of fashion designers, but when it comes to art critics there's no such authority, Isabell Graw notes with regret. "The last time there was such a direct influence on art production was in the 1950s, embodied in the figure of the legendary critic Clement Greenberg, whose exacting standards still represent a theoretical challenge today. During his legendary visits to Jackson Pollock's atelier he would pass judgement on the artist's work with a mixture of accuracy and arbitrariness, giving some pieces his seal of approval while others were deemed in need of work... However since those glorious days, art critics have lost much of their former authority and influence. When you flick through international art journals nowadays you can't help getting the feeling that art criticism has indeed taken on some of the features of advertising. Art reviews resemble press releases and have many of the features of fashion stories. (24/10/2006)
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