Why do journalists create lists? They work — they attract attention. Readers like them. So it’s not surprising that art critic Blake Gopnik, who recently moved from the Washington Post to Tina Brown’s Newsweek – which she is trying hard to revive — recently offered his list of “The Ten Most Important Artists of Today.” Take a look; here’s the link.
Clearly, though, the list is meant to be a provocation, because it can’t really be taken seriously. On the list: Marjetica Potrc, Gillian Wearing, Tacita Dean and Artur Zmijewski, along with standbys Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. I’m not berating the work of any of these artists. I like much of it, but I’m just saying…
But Gopnik’s list gives me an opportunity to look at a two other lists. A new magazine called The Art Economist has been offering a new list of the “top 300 leading, living contemporary artists based on their highest auction results achieved since 2008.” In the latest issue, #5 — which includes prices to May 1, 2011, and thus does not include the May New York auctions, the top ten are:
- Lucian Freud
- Jasper Johns
- Jeff Koons
- Damien Hirst
- Gerhard Richter
- Takashi Murakami
- Zhang Xiaogang
- Peter Doig
- Zeng Fanzhi
- Brice Marden
Is the market any better at deciding who the best artists are? Which brings me to the cautionary tale part of this post: It’s way too early to tell which, if any of these artists — especially those on Gopnik’s list – will stand the test of time, not to mention changing fashions in the near term. On May 31, The New York Times revisited some hot artists of recent years, like Francesco Clemente, Eric Fischl and Larry Rivers, and discovered that their prices have been flat in a soaring contemporary market.
For even more perspective, take a gander at a list made in 1949, when Look magazine printed its list of the “Ten Best Artists,” as determined by a poll of museum directors and art critics. The results:
- John Marin
- Max Weber
- Yasuo Kuniyoski
- Stuart Davis
- Ben Shahn
- Charles Burchfield
- George Grosz
- Franklin Watkins
- a tie between Lyonel Feininger and Jack Levine
Where are they now, in price, reputation and art historical importance?
Photo Credit: “Crowhurst” by Tacita Dean, courtesy of Newsweek/The Daily Beast