Artcritical Revives Ken Johnson Debate and Covers Multiple Critical Discussions in Contemporary Art

Artcritical has brought back the Ken Johnson Affair from December 2012, highlighting a Facebook dialogue between New York Times critic Ken Johnson and painter Amy Sillman concerning Johnson's critique of Michelle Grabner's exhibition at James Cohan Gallery. Grabner is also the curator of a floor at this year's Whitney Biennial. Additionally, the publication covers a discussion at the Jewish Museum led by Bob Nickas, featuring artists Joanne Greenbaum, Philip Taaffe, and Stanley Whitney, focusing on emerging talents in contemporary abstraction. This week, responses to Robert Gober's MoMA retrospective were provided by Lee Ann Norman, Steve Locke, and Dennis Kardon. Amelia Rina reviewed Christopher Williams' retrospective at MoMA, while Stephen Maine discussed Judy Pfaff's solo exhibitions at Pavel Zoubok and Loretta Howard galleries. Peter Malone examined cluster exhibitions. The article references Primitivism and Twentieth-Century Art: A Documentary History, which critiques MoMA's controversial 1984 blockbuster and earlier works. Artcritical invites readers to engage via comments and social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.