Eyewitness: Reports From An Art World In Crisis

Art critic Jed Perl has a theory about the state of the contemporary art scene. He believes that the art world--which he defines as an ideal community of dealers, collectors, curators, and viewers who support artists over the long term, regardless of market or other forces--is on the verge of extinction. Primarily he blames the art-market publicity machine and the complicity of major magazine editors and crowd-hungry museum directors. Together, they overhype already-successful artists like Cindy Sherman and Julian Schnabel to the detriment of the "different, unglamorous, half-buried scene" composed of emerging artists and denizens whose work has consistently evolved over the course of long, quiet careers. Eyewitness is a collection of Perl's essays, written over the last decade or so, in which he single-mindedly pursues his definition of a healthy art world and the perils that threaten its existence. His writing on wide-ranging subjects such as the 1995 Whitney Biennial, the audio component of Bruce Nauman's sculpture, the building of L.A.'s Getty Center, and a 1997 exhibition of Braque's mid-century masterpieces is filled with predictions about the trajectory of the art world, many of them dire, some of them worthy of serious consideration. Readers will likely react strongly to Perl's occasional rants, but what cannot be refuted is that, as art critic for the New Republic, he is extremely knowledgeable about his topic. He writes simply and accessibly and suggests interesting ideas for consideration. Eyewitness is a relevant read for anyone connected to the art world, including even the occasional museum visitor or gallerygoer. --Jordana Moskowitz