LOOKING BACK. . . SOMETIMES IN ANGER
by Jerry Saltz



Before New York museums and galleries get back into gear, let’s look in the rearview mirror at the art season of 2006. A lot of people were saying the art world was going to hell. Perhaps, but people have been saying this for the better part of a century, and nonstop since 1982. Of course, there is a lot to raise eyebrows about nowadays, notably the runaway train of the art market. This will be dealt with here in the weeks to come. For now, a blog entry of Damien Crisp, a gifted MFA student at the School of Visual Arts, captures some of the anger, distrust, and frustration felt these days by students entering an art world awash in success, money, and professionalism. Crisp writes, "Art schools are pumping out artists like clay shooting targets. The paths to success are marked-out and worn-down. These paths aren’t about creating interesting work; they make you walk the line. Reading Walter Benjamin year after year only keeps the power structure intact."

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