THE OBAMA BIENNIAL
by Jerry Saltz



The cover of the 2010 Whitney Biennial catalogue displays a picture of Barack Obama as a Dapper Dan cowboy. Inside, guest curator Francesco Bonami and co-curator Gary Carrion-Murayari call the president "the coolest artist of all" and say their show is about "innovative forms," "new relationships" and "personal modernism." After two biennials devoted to dealing with "failure" and "darkness," this catalogue speaks of "renewal" and "optimism." Yes, it’s the Obama Biennial: alternately moving and frustrating, challenging and disappointing -- and a big improvement on what came before.

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