~THOM COWAN . . out to lunch ? no. but personally – I think ELI BROAD is.
THOM COWAN aka boner_table . . ‘Out to lunch’.
image via Instagram – @boner_table
the whole contemporary ‘mainstream’ art scene, as typified by ELI BROAD and his much touted “contemporary” art collection/museum is pretty boring . . and well, pretty much over. cold toast.
time moves on. it’s 2016 – not 1979. 80s are no longer . . quote contemporary.
Millennials rule.
okay, there are few great & timeless pieces, but over-all it’s a drag. with a kind of prevailing visual ‘sameness’, which is really boring.
see: the BROAD COLLECTION online
http://www.thebroad.org/art/browse
‘contemporary’ is going to become about as cutting edge – as ‘modern’ is – in these guys’ hands.
Eli Broad should marry Roberta Smith.
I would say, just off the top of my head, most of the artists in this collection peaked in the 80s. I mean that’s ok, but just don’t call your museum . . the epitome of contemporary art. it’s not. I mean JACK GOLDSTEIN is great, and I would commend the collection just for that . . but he’s been dead for decades. and most telling, the recent auction prices for ELI BROAD favorite . . CINDY SHERMAN have gone very very soft, and, ditto for JEFF KOONS.
GREGORY CREWDSON, is one of the only ones, in the ‘collection’- who I would consider: still really alive and kicking.
ok. Eli has 2 spray paint fabric paintings by STERLING RUBY. good. and they are nice ones.
but where’s the Joe BRADLEY ? the Maurizio CATTELAN ?
he has a MURAKAMI, but where’s . . the BARRY McGEE ?
and even these guys you know, they are not puppies. they are not raging foam-ers straight up from the street. they all made their names back in the early 2000s. so, come on – that’s already over 15 years ago.
in general – ‘contemporary’ is getting to be a pretty obsolete term. the deal is I once heard him, Eli speak about how he was buying Cindy Shermans right off the presses – back in the day. the early 80s. that’s good, but see . . that’s the funny thing about the at world, it’s 2016.
and, so whose work is the much touted titan of ‘cutting edge’ buying at auction – this season / MAY 2016 ?
SAM FRANCIS – !! I kid you not.
I wrote my god damn high school art final – on Sam Francis, and that was back in the 60s. along with the Beatles. and I wanna hold your hand. if that helps put things in perspective.
yeah, he bought Sam Francis ‘Summer #1’, 1957 – for $10.35 Million.
impressed ? neither am I.
let me tell: oh yeah. if he really had that great an ‘eye’, with that kind of ($$) dough, he could be really cleaning up – on the really contemporary art scene. he could vacuum up the whole scene, and snort it right back out his nose – at auction in 10 years. like he did with Cindy and the rest of the ‘Picture’ generation crew.
he might have a really really nice, middle-of-the-road, no surprises – 80s ‘contemporary art’ collection – but just don’t tell me – that he’s . . a rolling stone.
and, I mean it doesn’t even have to be ‘today’. but it has to be brilliant.
to my way of thinking, VIRGINIA DWAN with her patronage of MICHAEL HEIZER – now that outdoes ELI BROAD, hands down.
now – if ELI BROAD had some DAN ASHERS, seriously . . I would be bowing down and kissing the green-billed trail of earth he walks on. but I’m not giving him any crown. sorry.
whatever. go read artinfo if it makes you happy.
lol, LOUISE BLOUIN is on the scandalous tax evading Panama Papers list !!
just some . . out-to-lunch ramblings on a lazy day. why ?
because . . I can. something about raw talent – popping up from the underground.
brings out the best – in me.
but . . .
Back to the future !!
how many ways and things about this . . THOM COWAN / @boner_table . . . art T shirt do I love ?
for starters: the fact that the artist probably thinks . . he has no chance in hell of making it – and so, IT’S SO FRIGGIN’ FRESH.
it’s funny. it’s sweet, and TWISTY !!
It’s lyrical and wry. it’s about animals and humans. it’s got great DIY calligraphy. and nice full swinging tits, too. but it doesn’t feel porno. and, I love that sparkly stuff going on around them – even more than I can put in words.
the coloring is fab.
the spatial composition is super fab, and speaks to both freedom & spontaneity = natural talent.
the daydream element is all mine for the taking . . .it’s truly one-of-a kind, not endless knock-off variations.
and, it’s even signed/initialed, and dated . . ‘2016’ – in the bottom right-hand corner.
and you can . .. wear it !! tattoos are so – over.
so – out to lunch !! and ready to party !!
they should be selling these – at the BROAD FOUNDATION gift shop, god forbid. that probably would be like the biggest kiss of death to a young artist. today.
but see, here’s the thing: INSTA-gram.
call me out to lunch – but just don’t tell me I’m stupid.