Power 100
All the Fun of the Fair
If the profusion of art fairs and biennials is an inevitable
talking point for the artworld’s more curmudgeonly critics,
25
it’s nevertheless important to note just how much of a
phenomenon art fair and biennial culture has become. You
know something is getting significant when there’s a whole
website devoted to it, so in case you were in any doubt, www.
Dakis Joannou
artfairsinternational.com cheerfully lists the dozens of fairs Category: Collector
and biennial that are happening at any one moment – 2007 Nationality: Greek
alone will have been host to 25 biennials and more than 140 Last Year: 27
art fairs, from the sublime to the ridiculous. But what does the
accelerating pace of production and presentation mean for Industrialist Dakis Joannou is the Joannou’s reputation for consistently
the upper end of the artworld’s traditional institutions? foremost collector of art in Greece reflecting current trends.
For the biennial shows, there’s now a real question mark and one of the most visible and Though for a long time
over their relevance in establishing what art is significant. influential worldwide. His house Joannou has been considered
Venice is now treated as a party town – there’s plenty of good overlooking Athens holds a rotating exceptional for looking outward
(and not so good) art, but does anybody really care who gets collection of work by Maurizio from Athens, his influence has
the Leone d’Oro? The Biennale’s former glory as the pinnacle Cattelan, Paul Chan, Chris Ofili, recently grown with the rising
of international artistic life makes no sense in the new empire of George Condo and Christopher stature of Athens and the group of
biennials, an empire on which the sun never sets. And if Roger Wool – and, of course, Jeff Koons, new collectors in the area. He and
Buergel and Ruth Noack’s Documenta 12 polarised critical the artist who started it all for his collection were psychoanalysed
opinion, that debate masked a bigger question of whether a Joannou. In addition to his private by a professional for an exhibition
five-yearly show can ever do more than merely track (or rebel collection, Joannou runs the DESTE of DESTE’s work in Vienna, and he
against) tendencies already well established. And if that’s the Foundation, which he established in commissioned a Tim Noble & Sue
case, who needs to wait another ten years for the next Skulptur 1983 to support contemporary art Webster work as a present for his
Projekte Münster? in Greece as well as elsewhere. It daughter’s recent wedding. Koons,
Art fairs, for their part, now constitute a similar, global funds prizes and exhibitions, and meanwhile, designed the ornaments
and seasonal progression, diverging and intersecting with the in developing its collection works to the cake: an enormous blue rabbit
biennial calendar. Every major artistic centre now has its art closely with key artworld figures, such and a pink swan, which the family
fair, and with more money to be made than ever before, the as New York dealer Jeffrey Deitch or stood beaming in front of in the
art fair calendar influences how galleries relate to sales, to Italian curator Massimiliano Gioni – official wedding photo.
collectors and to having a public programme. Galleries keep which no doubt contributes to its and
their best shows for when the art fair’s in town, whether public
museum or private gallery; some galleries are starting to think
solely in terms of working the art fair circuit, with the inevitable This year saw two retrospective a thorough look at the artist’s most
result that there are now a few that no longer work out of fixed exhibitions for Richard Prince. One famous works, including those that
gallery spaces, moving from art fair to art fair. And because of them (the Guggenheim’s Spiritual catapulted him to fame: Cowboys,
both fairs and biennials provide handy networking nodes for America) was the official version Girlfriends and Upstates. Indeed,
art professionals, if you’re a museum curator, attendance is of the artist’s career, while that of a more recent addition to the
increasingly de rigueur. the Neuberger Museum of Art in Cowboys series Untitled (Cowboy),
It’s not surprising then that these intertwining Purchase (which consisted of unseen 2001, sold for $2.84 million this year
relationships make for increasingly blurred boundaries. Frieze works from the start of the artist’s at Christie’s, a world record for the
Art Fair has a curator, talks, films and all the accoutrements career) was snubbed by Prince and artist. Despite his establishment
of your medium-size museum, even if it is only on for four his New York gallery. Both shows status, he remains a name-check
days. Biennials for their part are adapting to a different role, opened to critical acclaim, with for young creatives (Sofia Coppola
not as rarified showcases of nationalism and internationalism, Roberta Smith pronouncing in The recently listed him as an enduring
but as the buzzing hubs of the incessantly negotiated flux of New York Times that, while some influence in Dazed & Confused),
globalisation, to which even national museums are the humble works in the Neuberger show ‘are a and he diversified into skateboard
attendants. Like a system of vast, interlinked cogs covering the bit embarrassing… in the main they design for street label Supreme
globe, the artworld’s biennials and art fairs turn continuously, increase his stature’. That Prince earlier this year.
making for an artworld that is increasingly everywhere and refused to acknowledge the show
nowhere at once. only increased the attention given
, Lisa Phillips)
to it. Spiritual America, on the other
29
hand, curated by Nancy Spector, is
28), Lina Bertucci (
26
ork (
ew Y
, N
GF
eald, © SR
25)
avid M. H
Richard Prince
27), D
Category: Artist
enelaos Myrillas (
an Goldin (
Nationality: American
Last Year: 28 photo: M photos: N
Artreview 120
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