Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection
Encyclopedia
In September, 2009 the New Museum announced a series of exhibitions entitled “The Imaginary Museum,” the first of which was curated by Jeff Koons
from the collection of Dakis Joannou
, who in addition to heavy collecting the work of Koons, is a trustee of the museum. The museum’s decision to show works from the collection of one of its trustees raised some ethical red flags by several bloggers, and gained momentum with a front page article on the New York Times followed by considerable coverage elsewhere, including an editorial in The Art Newspaper
by Modern Art Notes’ Tyler Green, who had previously blogged about the situation, and responses by Jerry Saltz
in New York Magazine. The cover of the November issue of the Brooklyn Rail featured a satirical cartoon by artist William Powhida
with the title, “How the New Museum Committed Suicide with Banality
,” taken from a post by James Wagner, skewering the incestuousness and insiderness of the New Museum, and Artinfo called the controversy the “New Museum scandal.” The New Museum responded in defense, and a number of other museum directors also defended the museum’s decision.
In Roberta Smith
’s review of the show for the New York Times, she likened the selection of works to an auction display, and said, “Barely any intellectual glue holds the exhibition together.”
Jeff Koons
Jeffrey "Jeff" Koons is an American artist known for his reproductions of banal objects—such as balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces....
from the collection of Dakis Joannou
Dakis Joannou
Dakis Joannou born 1941 is a Greek Cypriot industrialist and art collector based in Greece. He owns hotels and a construction business and has been a major international distributor of Coca-Cola "across 27 countries, from Greece to Switzerland to Russia to Nigeria."-Life and career:Joannou is...
, who in addition to heavy collecting the work of Koons, is a trustee of the museum. The museum’s decision to show works from the collection of one of its trustees raised some ethical red flags by several bloggers, and gained momentum with a front page article on the New York Times followed by considerable coverage elsewhere, including an editorial in The Art Newspaper
The Art Newspaper
The Art Newspaper is a monthly newspaper about the visual arts based in London.It is published in a newspaper, rather than a magazine, format...
by Modern Art Notes’ Tyler Green, who had previously blogged about the situation, and responses by Jerry Saltz
Jerry Saltz
Jerry Saltz is an American art critic. Since 2006, he has been senior art critic and a columnist for New York magazine. Formerly the senior art critic for The Village Voice, Saltz has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism three times. He was the sole advisor for the 1995 Whitney...
in New York Magazine. The cover of the November issue of the Brooklyn Rail featured a satirical cartoon by artist William Powhida
William Powhida
William Powhida is a visual artist and former art critic born in 1976 in New York. His work addresses the contemporary art industry.Topics have included creating an "enemies" list as well as letters addressed to contemporary curators , collectors and critics, requesting recognition...
with the title, “How the New Museum Committed Suicide with Banality
How the New Museum Committed Suicide with Banality
How The New Museum Committed Suicide With Banality is a 2009 drawing on paper by William Powhida that the Brooklyn Rail commissioned for the cover of its November 2009 issue...
,” taken from a post by James Wagner, skewering the incestuousness and insiderness of the New Museum, and Artinfo called the controversy the “New Museum scandal.” The New Museum responded in defense, and a number of other museum directors also defended the museum’s decision.
In Roberta Smith
Roberta Smith
Roberta Smith is an art critic for the New York Times and a lecturer on contemporary art.Born in New York City and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Smith studied at Grinnell College in Iowa. Her career in the arts started in 1968 while an undergraduate summer intern at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in...
’s review of the show for the New York Times, she likened the selection of works to an auction display, and said, “Barely any intellectual glue holds the exhibition together.”