New York's Biennial Season: Bruce High Quality Foundation, New Museum, Whitney

In spring 2012, New York hosted three major biennials and triennials, each offering distinct curatorial approaches. The Brucenniale, a nomadic project by the Bruce High Quality Foundation (BHQF) featuring Vito Schnabel, occupied a Greenwich Village space with a chaotic mix of works by Warhol, Basquiat, Clemente, Haring, Ron Gorchov, and Elliot Arkin, parodying the biennial format. The New Museum's third triennial, 'The Ungovernables,' attempted to channel Occupy Wall Street's anarchic spirit, featuring Adrian Villar Rojas and Danh Vo, but was criticized for pseudo-radicalism. The Whitney Biennial, curated with Robert Gober, centered on a miniatures retrospective of Forrest Bess (1911-1972), alongside works by Elaine Reichek, Kai Althoff, Nicole Eisenman, Andrew Mazzulo, and a film installation by Werner Herzog. The exhibition rejected the inflationary art market of Koons and embraced 'small is beautiful' and 'just pathetic' aesthetics, as defined by critic Ralph Rugoff. The Whitney Biennial was likely one of the last major events at the Breuer building.