Roberta Smith, art chief of the NYT, quotes re ten artists on their first appearance.
1. Robert Longo
“If Longo hadn’t come along, his art could have been dreamed up by a team of artists at a Madison Avenue advertising agency.”
2. Cecily Brown
“Pointlessly messy, made to sell, and uninteresting from any distance.”
3. Banks Violette
“Another example of macho posturing masquerading as art, cloaked in gothic doom and empty theatricality.”
4. Damien Hirst
“Swagger and sideburns art… All flash and no lasting resonance.”
5. Gabriel Orozco
“Dispiritingly one-note… visually austere to the point of nullity.”
6. Roni Horn
“A one-note minimalist sensibility that feels cold and emotionally paralyzed.”
7. Urs Fischer
“Another exercise in clever emptiness, suffocated by its own whimsy.”
8. Tino Sehgal
“Emotionally inert… performances that vanish before they register.”
9. Mickalene Thomas
“Fast-food obviousness — you get it too quickly and then it’s over.”
10. Josephine Meckseper
“How much did this thing cost? All gloss, no gravity.”
So was she predictive?
1. Robert Longo
Featured in The Pictures Generation exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009)
2. Cecily Brown
Major retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Cecily Brown: Death and the Maid (2023)
3. Banks Violette
Solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art (2005)
4. Damien Hirst
Retrospective at Tate Modern: Damien Hirst (2012)
5. Gabriel Orozco
Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2009)
6. Roni Horn
Major solo exhibition at Tate Modern: Roni Horn aka Roni Horn (2009)
7. Urs Fischer
Solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum: Urs Fischer: Marguerite de Ponty (2009)
8. Tino Sehgal
Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale (2013)
9. Mickalene Thomas
Retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum: Origin of the Universe (2012)
10. Josephine Meckseper
Platform commission and solo exhibition at the Parrish Art Museum (2013)