A Year in the Art World

July 15, 2020
An art historian and curator's attempt to "present an accessible, engaging and historically informed view of what makes the art world go round." Israel, who has worked extensively in the business at various positions, is well equipped to write an insider's guide to "what's often regarded as a niche, elitist industry." Employing a journalistic approach and fairly dry prose, the author chronicles his discussions with people from all over the world for whom art is their livelihood. First, he notes with chagrin the lack of diversity before recounting a not-all-that-revealing visit to the studio of Taryn Simon, a photographer and installation artist Israel calls "one of the most important artists of her generation." Of more interest are the author's portraits of the warehouses of sculpture fabricators. Artists working on a large scale--e.g., Jeff Koons, who has his own production facility--rarely produce all the pieces of the artwork themselves. Israel learned what it's like to represent a Robert Rauschenberg or Mark Rothko, and a museum director told him that the key to keeping your job is to get along with board members. In Hong Kong, Israel demonstrates how costly art fairs are a "booming business" for those who can afford them. Managing an artist's estate wisely can greatly increase their reputation, as in the case of photographer Peter Hujar. Art critic Jarrett Earnest laments that his profession is "going through a crisis." While MFA programs are in trouble, art online--e.g., at Artsy, where Israel worked for a while--is expanding the art world's reach. Auctions remain a "central institution for the art world" because of the high prices they can command. The chapter on art storage, a $1 billion-per-year business, is fascinating, but much of Israel's material has been covered in zestier fashion, particularly by Sara Thornton in her Seven Days in the Art World. The four-color photos are worthy, but the narrative is essentially Art World 101.

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