Taking AIM!: The Business of Being an Artist Today

The Leibowitz Questionnaire

The Leibowitz Questionnaire cary leibowitz Editor’s Note: Artist Cary Leibowitz conducted this informal survey of a cross-section of art professionals about their views on the events, artists, exhibitions, and ideas that have helped shape the contemporary art landscape during the past three decades. What follows are the often candid, as well as thought-provoking, responses of this diverse group of individuals . We are grateful to all of them for their participation and insights. Barbara Krakow, Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston Q: The most significant event(s) that have affected the art world since 1980? A: Art fairs, expansion of auctions into gallery activity, and [the] Internet. Collectors building their own private museums and not supporting other museums. [A high] percentage of buyers is not made of scholars, and many use consultants of varying degrees of knowledge. Q: The most influential artists in the past three decades? A: Sol LeWitt, Kiki Smith, Bruce Nauman, Gerhard Richter, and Robert Gober. Q: The greatest epiphany you have experienced in the art world? A: I don’t have epiphanies. I have slow growth. That’s why I’m 5⬘2⬙. Q: ‘‘I still learn and change my mind about art . . .’’ A) Daily B) Weekly C) Yearly D) Every few years E) Not in a long time, but I am hopeful Q: ‘‘Sometimes I feel an overwhelming need to get angry about . . .’’ A) Art B) Art writing C) Art curating D) Art buying E) Art selling F) All of the above Q: ‘‘Sometimes I see a show or have a discussion that makes me feel so renewed and excited about art. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does the joy can last for . . .’’ A) Hours B) Days C) Months D) More than a year Q: True or false: ‘‘The most recent art shows I have seen have been the most exciting.’’ A: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Q: True or false: ‘‘They don’t make art the way they used to.’’ A: Obviously it’s not the same. But [I’m] not making a judgment [about] better or worse. 124 The Leibowitz Questionnaire 125 Matthew Higgs, Director and Chief Curator, White Columns, New York Q: The most significant event(s) that have affected the art world since 1980? A: The AIDS crisis, globalization, fall of the Berlin Wall, the Internet, biennials, and art fairs. Q: The most influential artists in the past three decades? A: Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Martin Kippenberger, Cady Noland, David Hammons, Mike Kelley, Andy Warhol (I think he set the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s in motion). Q: The most influential individual(s) in the past thirty years? A: Kasper Konig and Catherine David (for ‘‘Documenta X,’’ 1997) Q: ‘‘I still learn and change my mind about art . . .’’ A) Daily B) Weekly C) Yearly D) Every few years E) Not in a long time, but I am hopeful Q: ‘‘Sometimes I feel an overwhelming need to get angry about . . .’’ A) Art B) Art writing C) Art curating D) Art buying E) Art selling F) None of the above Q: ‘‘Sometimes I see a show or have a discussion that makes me feel so renewed and excited about art. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does the joy can last for . . .’’ A) Hours B) Days C) Months D) More than a year Q: True or false: ‘‘The most recent art shows I have seen have been the most exciting.’’ A: True. Q: True or false: ‘‘They don’t make art the way they used to.’’ A: False. 126 Cary Leibowitz Hudson, Owner and Director, Feature Inc., New York Q: The most significant event(s) that have affected the art world since 1980? A: Plurality (the good thing) and business/art as investment (the bad thing). Q: The most influential artists in the past three decades? A: I would delete the word ‘‘most’’ from your question as I don’t think that way or encourage people to think that way. Five 1980-ish artists [who] I feel strongly influenced the following few decades are Bruce Nauman, Mike Kelley, Raymond Pettibon, Charles Ray, and Tom Friedman. Yeah, I know, it looks nepotistic as I once represented three of them. Q: The most influential individual(s) in the past thirty years? A: Toss-up between Larry Gagosian and Charles Saatchi, influential standard more so than important, but most would think...