Critical Roundtable Debates Jenny Saville's 'Ancestors' at Gagosian New York
At Gagosian Gallery in New York, a group of artists and critics convened to evaluate Jenny Saville's exhibition 'Ancestors,' which runs until June 16, 2018. The panel's views were notably polarized. Julie Heffernan commended the Fate paintings for their blend of abstraction and figuration, while Brenda Zlamany expressed enthusiasm for their scale and color. Dennis Kardon believed Saville had 'redeemed herself' with this exhibition. Walter Robinson praised her exceptional skills in academic drawing. Conversely, Barry Schwabsky criticized the new works, and David Cohen described them as 'disingenuous academic machines.' Suzy Spence remarked on the absence of early feminist tension. The discussion also touched on artists like Lucian Freud and Anselm Kiefer, examining themes of technique, race, and authenticity, ultimately ending in disagreement over Saville's latest creations.
Key facts
- Jenny Saville's exhibition 'Ancestors' is on view at Gagosian Gallery in New York through June 16, 2018.
- This is Saville's first solo presentation in New York since 2011.
- She concurrently has a survey exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh.
- The roundtable discussion was published on artcritical.com on May 26, 2018.
- Participants included artists Julie Heffernan, Brenda Zlamany, Dennis Kardon, Walter Robinson, Suzy Spence, and critics David Cohen and Barry Schwabsky.
- The Fate paintings (Fate 1, Fate 2, Fate 3) were a major focus, praised for merging abstraction and figuration and depicting black and white bodies.
- Critical opinions were deeply divided, with some praising technical bravura and others criticizing the work as disingenuous or mannered.
- The debate referenced numerous other artists including Lucian Freud, Anselm Kiefer, David Salle, Dana Schutz, and Tracey Emin.
Entities
Artists
- Jenny Saville
- Julie Heffernan
- Brenda Zlamany
- Dennis Kardon
- Walter Robinson
- Barry Schwabsky
- Suzy Spence
- David Cohen
- Tracey Emin
- Lisa Yuskavage
- Anselm Kiefer
- Lucian Freud
- David Salle
- Richard Prince
- Frank Auerbach
- Linda Nochlin
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Cecily Brown
- Odd Nerdrum
- Adrian Ghenie
- George Condo
- R.B. Kitaj
- Allen Jones
- David Hockney
- Richard Hamilton
- Francis Bacon
- Larry Rivers
- Willem de Kooning
- Roger Hilton
- Dana Schutz
- Kara Walker
- Sam Durant
- Florine Stettheimer
- Soutine
- Rembrandt
- Lee Bowery
- Manet
- Matisse
- Cy Twombly
- Donald Kuspit
- Nicole Eisenman
- Jeffrey Deitch
- Mitchell Algus
- Sears Peyton
Institutions
- Gagosian Gallery
- artcritical.com
- Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
- P.P.O.W. Gallery
- Mitchell Algus Gallery
- Jeffrey Deitch
- The Nation
- Sears Peyton Gallery
- Davenport College, Yale University
- JCC, New York
- New York Academy of Art
- Whitney Biennial
- Walker Art Center
- Documenta
- Frieze
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
- Chelsea
- Germany
- Minnesota
- Dresden
- Romania