Kingmakers, fine arts edition

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)

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