Opinion & reviews

Editorials, critical reviews, analyses, commentaries, and viewpoints on the contemporary art world.

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2007 Year-End Dance Review: Béjart's Death, Katrina, and Catastrophes opinion-review
Maurice Béjart died on November 21, 2007, receiving international tributes even from media that rarely cover dance. His final tour, a best-of produced by TF1's Gérard Louvin,…
Christian Salmon's Storytelling: A Critical Review opinion-review
In his book "Storytelling," Christian Salmon examines the application of narratives in management and marketing, a concept that emerged in the United States. The idea was first…
Photography's Decline of Beauty: From Devastated Landscapes to Troubled Childhood opinion-review
A survey of six photography exhibitions in Paris from 2007 to 2008 reveals a notable decline in the appreciation of beauty within contemporary photography. At Fondation Cartier,…
Jacques Henric defends Nouvel Obs' Beauvoir nude photo cover opinion-review
In an editorial for art press, Jacques Henric defends the Nouvel Observateur's decision to publish a nude photo of Simone de Beauvoir on its cover, taken by Art Shay in a Chicago…
Glenn O'Brien Compares Art and Sports Economics opinion-review
In a 2008 article for artpress, critic Glenn O'Brien draws parallels between the art world and professional sports, noting that top artists now earn salaries comparable to…
Bernadette Dufrêne Defends Centre Pompidou Anniversary Book Against Jean Lauxerrois opinion-review
In a response published in art press (February 2008), Bernadette Dufrêne, director of the book marking the Centre Pompidou's 30th anniversary, refutes claims made by Jean…
Alberto Burri's Mitchell-Innes & Nash Exhibition Highlights Postwar Material Innovation opinion-review
At 534 West 26th Street in New York, Mitchell-Innes & Nash is showcasing the works of Alberto Burri until January 19, presenting the first extensive survey of his career in over…
Ariane Lopez-Huici's Photographs of Large Nude Women Challenge Venus of Willendorf Allusions opinion-review
Ariane Lopez-Huici presented black and white photographs at the New York Studio School from December 6, 2007 to February 2, 2008. The exhibition featured four unclothed, large…
Seduced, Barney, Baselitz, Graham: Four London Shows Reviewed opinion-review
Barry Schwabsky examines four exhibitions currently on display in London. At the Barbican, 'Seduced: Art and Sex from Antiquity to Now' (12 Oct 2007 – 27 Jan 2008), under the…
Censorship, Erotic Books, and Roger Parry Exhibition Reviewed opinion-review
A review in artpress covers several recent publications and an exhibition. Bernard Joubert's 'Dictionnaire des livres et journaux interdits' lists 6,900 titles banned under…
New York: The Shadow of a Smile opinion-review
The article reflects on the absurdity of authority figures who oscillate between ridicule and renewed power. It describes how a caricature-like representative of authority,…
Honoré and Tarantino: Copying as a Strategy to Overcome Cinema's Death opinion-review
Christophe Honoré's *Les Chansons d'amour* and Quentin Tarantino's *Boulevard de la mort* (or *Death Proof*), both showcased at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, explore the theme of…
Marcel Duchamp's 1961 prophecy on art's commodification resurfaces opinion-review
The editorial revisits Marcel Duchamp's 1961 lecture at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art, warning that mass demand for art, driven by material and speculative values, leads…
Paris Photo 2007: Celebrity vs. Price in Photography Market opinion-review
At Paris Photo, held from November 15 to 18, 2007 at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, Judith Benhamou examines the relationship between a photograph's fame and its market value.…
Review of Tom Sandqvist's 'Dada East' Examines Romanian and Jewish Influences on Zurich Dada opinion-review
In his 2006 publication 'Dada East: The Romanians of Cabaret Voltaire,' Tom Sandqvist explores the Dada movement in Zurich, focusing on the Romanian and Jewish heritage of…
Godard's 2004 Film Our Music Explores Balkan Reconstruction and Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Through Poetic Tableaux opinion-review
Jean-Luc Godard’s 2004 film, Our Music (Notre musique), unfolds in three segments—Hell, Purgatory, Heaven—set against the backdrop of postwar Sarajevo and Mostar. At the European…
Jean-Luc Godard's 2004 Film Our Music Examines Conflict Through Sarajevo and Mostar Settings opinion-review
Jean-Luc Godard's 2004 film Our Music (Notre musique) positions the director within a narrative exploring conflict and reconstruction. The work was produced by Avventura Films and…
Film The Ister Examines Heidegger's Danube Philosophy and Europe's Traumatic History opinion-review
The Ister, a film from 2004 directed by David Barison and Daniel Ross, delves into Martin Heidegger's lectures from 1942 regarding Friedrich Hölderlin's hymn about the Danube…
León Ferrari's 'Western Christian Civilization' Sparks Debate on Blasphemy and Christology opinion-review
León Ferrari's 1965 sculpture 'Western Christian Civilization,' exhibited at the 52nd Venice Biennale, depicts a crucified Christ on a US Air Force fighter jet, provoking multiple…
Deepak Ananth on the challenges of translating Indian contemporary art for Western audiences opinion-review
In a 2007 article for artpress, art historian Deepak Ananth examines how Indian contemporary art is often perceived in the West, frequently simplified to a notion of exoticism. He…
Michael Fried's Anti-Theatricality in Postwar American Painting opinion-review
In the wake of World War II, a generation of artists, dealers, and critics in New York fostered the twilight of modernism. Painting, still wet from the studio, entered history…
Five Years After the Sorokin Affair: Examining Cultural Policy Under Putin's Russia opinion-review
In January 2002, a group of clean-cut young protesters gathered in central Moscow to denounce what they called obscene and unwholesome elements in recent Russian literature. This…
Laura Kasischke's Novels: Blood, Suspense, and Middle-Class Dread opinion-review
In a review published in artpress in June 2007, Laurent Goumarre examines two novels by American author Laura Kasischke: "Rêves de garçons" (2006) and "À moi pour toujours"…
Editorial: The Long and Difficult Path to Democratic Curating opinion-review
In an editorial for artpress, Catherine Millet reflects on the shift from the artist-curator model epitomized by Harald Szeemann to a more democratic approach in major…
Ferran Adrià’s Documenta 12 selection sparks debate on art criticism’s crisis opinion-review
The selection of chef Ferran Adrià as one of only two Spanish participants in Documenta 12 has stirred controversy in the Spanish art world, raising questions about the boundaries…
Critique of 2nd Moscow Biennale Highlights Political Discontent and Artistic Failures opinion-review
The 2nd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art took place from March 1 to April 1, 2007, under the theme 'FOOTNOTES on Geopolitics, Market and Amnesia,' but it received backlash…
Art Students as Artists: Market Trend or Folly? opinion-review
Eleanor Heartney examines a market trend of elevating art students to star status, driven by fear of missing the next Picasso. The analysis follows a February roundtable by the…
Panel at Chicago Cultural Center Debates Ukrainian Modernism and National Identity opinion-review
In 2006, the Chicago Cultural Center hosted a panel discussion named "Ukrainian Modernism: Identity, Nationhood, Then and Now," coinciding with the exhibition "Crossroads:…
Bresson's Distinction: A Critical Portrait opinion-review
In summer 1965, Robert Bresson was filming his masterpiece 'Au hasard Balthazar'. The article contrasts Bresson's view of actors with Hitchcock's, noting that for Bresson, actors…
Heidegger's Thought and Controversial Life opinion-review
The article discusses the paradox of great philosophical works being admired for their depth yet rejected due to the effort required to understand them and their unsettling…
Martin Amis's Scorpion Strategy: From Leftist to Neocon opinion-review
A 2007 article in artpress examines Martin Amis's literary trajectory, arguing that his work consistently employs a 'scorpion strategy' of turning back to strike. The piece…
The Value of Forgotten Geniuses in Art Sales opinion-review
The article argues that forgotten geniuses in art offer dual advantages in a period of intense consumption: they are both new (their work hasn't been seen for a while) and old…
SocialEast Seminars Launch to Rethink Eastern European Art History opinion-review
In the fall of 2006, the SocialEast Forum, organized by MYRIAD at Manchester Metropolitan University, began a series of seminars in both Manchester and Budapest that examined…
Andy Warhol's Films Challenge Spectator Attention opinion-review
Andy Warhol commented on his own films, noting that viewers can leave and return without missing much. His works like Sleep (6 hours), Empire State (8 hours), and Four Stars (25…
Art Review's Power 100: A Curator's Reflection on Influence and Rankings opinion-review
The writer, who serves as both a curator and educator, shares his thoughts on being placed 13th in the 2006 Power 100 list by Art Review, a decline from his previous position in…
Editorial: All Perverse opinion-review
On November 15, 2006, Henri-Claude Cousseau, the director of the École nationale des beaux-arts, faced indictment from Bordeaux judge Jean-Louis Croizier for charges of…
From Child Death to Child Murder in Theatre opinion-review
Georges Banu, a theatre historian, analyzes the transformation of a familiar 19th-century theme—the death of a child—into the 20th-century motif of child murder. This shift is…
King Kong Theory and Corps Amoureux: A Critical Review of Feminist Rage opinion-review
A review in artpress critiques Virginie Despentes' King Kong Theory (Grasset, 2006) and Catherine Breillat's Corps Amoureux (Denoël, 2006). The reviewer acknowledges Despentes'…
Artpress Essay: The Need for Imagination in Art and Spectacle opinion-review
In a 2006 essay for Artpress, the author argues that contemporary audiences, across generations and cultural levels, crave imagination—evidenced by the massive popularity of…
Mozart's Idomeneo Censored in Berlin Amid Islamist Threats opinion-review
The Deutsche Oper in Berlin canceled performances of Mozart's opera Idomeneo after receiving a single phone threat from Islamists. The opera had been targeted for its themes of…

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