Mary Boone and Nicole Kidman Share Botox Forehead

by Art Fag City on November 28, 2008 · 18 comments Newswire

Mary Boone‘s forehead doesn’t move any more, but aside from that she is an amazing looking 50 year old. Bloomberg news interviewed the dealer recently on Night Talk, though she revealed little about how she’s built the gallery over the years (other than by finding talent). A series of cliches and surface information about the art world mark the interview. “How do you know when you fall in love?” says Boone when Mike Schneider asks how she identifies good art. I’m sure there’s a little more to it then that, but if that’s all she’s willing to give so be it. Those seeking something a little meatier will find better material elsewhere; the Bad at Sports interview with Edward Winkleman isn’t a bad place to start.

Meanwhile to celebrate the gallery’s 30 year anniversary Mary Boone has started working with the non-profit publicolor to institute an arts program called Young at Art to help give back to the city. She gave pretty much the worst description of her own program I’ve ever heard, describing Publicolor as a charity (it’s an after school program that teaches kids how to repaint their schools by doing the like), and offering a rather muddy idea of what her gallery is actually contributing. A press release from Reuters issued two months before sums the program up with greater clarity:

In the first phase of Young at Art, students in 30 schools across New York City created a unique work of art based on a new curriculum, which teaches the relationship between art and the environment. In this second phase, a public space in all participating 30 schools will be restored, inspired by the artwork created by the students. Young at Art was formed in the past year by a unique public-private joint venture between renowned art gallery owner Mary Boone, the not-for-profit organizations Publicolor and The Fund for Public Schools and the New York City school system.

On a personal note I should mention I worked for publicolor for about a month when I first moved to New York eight years ago. The company was wise enough to identify my skills as not particularly well suited for that line of work, but in that small amount of time I did witness the effect their teachers have on underprivileged kids. The reality is that most of these children come from backgrounds no amount of paint can fix, but the few they reach significantly changes the course of an otherwise bleak future.

{ 18 comments }

Heart As Arena November 28, 2008 at 4:31 pm

When did her forehead ever move? If I were an actress, MB would be the first character I would want to portray. I think that she’s the physically tightest human being on the planet. To keep that up over an entire performance would be challenging and exhausting. Imagine doing it every minute of the day. Totally fascinating. This is not a dis. I think it’s a characteristic that doesn’t reveal anything. And when I say that I mean that it’s a characteristic that doesn’t reveal anything.

And I don’t know, Paddy. Her explanation about identifying good art works for me. Maybe it really isn’t any more complicated than that for her. It isn’t for me. Wait a second. Maybe I’M the next Mary Boone. OMG. Where is my fuzzy pink hat?

Heart As Arena November 28, 2008 at 11:31 am

When did her forehead ever move? If I were an actress, MB would be the first character I would want to portray. I think that she’s the physically tightest human being on the planet. To keep that up over an entire performance would be challenging and exhausting. Imagine doing it every minute of the day. Totally fascinating. This is not a dis. I think it’s a characteristic that doesn’t reveal anything. And when I say that I mean that it’s a characteristic that doesn’t reveal anything.

And I don’t know, Paddy. Her explanation about identifying good art works for me. Maybe it really isn’t any more complicated than that for her. It isn’t for me. Wait a second. Maybe I’M the next Mary Boone. OMG. Where is my fuzzy pink hat?

Art Fag City November 28, 2008 at 4:44 pm

Whose forehead doesn’t move? I really can’t believe she’s 50 though. She totally looks amazing.

For me, identifying good art work is a little more complicated than that. I’d be surprised for example if she landed sales by explaining, “who knows why I love what I do, I just do.”

Art Fag City November 28, 2008 at 11:44 am

Whose forehead doesn’t move? I really can’t believe she’s 50 though. She totally looks amazing.

For me, identifying good art work is a little more complicated than that. I’d be surprised for example if she landed sales by explaining, “who knows why I love what I do, I just do.”

Heart As Arena November 29, 2008 at 7:46 pm

Yeah. You’re probably right. To a certain extent, my response was more about the Basquiat film in my head rather than how it is in the real world, even my real world. Because it’s NOT always love at first sight. (Plus, that still doesn’t answer the question of “What makes art good?”) The new Maureen Cavanaugh show is a good example. I’ve known her work for a couple years now and enjoyed it without loving it, but this show put me over the edge. I’m swoonful. The paint. The line. The illitude.

Heart As Arena November 29, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Yeah. You’re probably right. To a certain extent, my response was more about the Basquiat film in my head rather than how it is in the real world, even my real world. Because it’s NOT always love at first sight. (Plus, that still doesn’t answer the question of “What makes art good?”) The new Maureen Cavanaugh show is a good example. I’ve known her work for a couple years now and enjoyed it without loving it, but this show put me over the edge. I’m swoonful. The paint. The line. The illitude.

Contemporary Art November 29, 2008 at 11:42 pm

It’s always fascinating to see these figures we take for granted interact with a larger public. I like imagining Larry Gagosian shutting his doors because he realized his project is “impure.”

As to the back and forth about her comment about how she knows when she’s found good art, I think it’s important to differentiate between the way a dealer interacts with an artist she might represent and the way she sells that work to a collector. I doubt too many collectors are in an artist’s studio quizzing them on the best ways to market their work. The sales pitches, the convincing of skeptics, is generally the job of a dealer.

Smart collectors are skeptical because they are buying something they have little control over. A dealer is actually closer to an artist; they are running scenarios internally during the visit, but they have a good deal of control. They’re looking at potential rather than finished product. Even assuming a perfect situation in which an artist has total creative control over what goes into an exhibition and even what gets sold, the dealer is still in virtually all cases doing the job of arguing for the work. I think I still believe that artists shouldn’t be in the business of arguing for themselves, which leaves dealers with the feelings Boone described as tools for making decisions about her program.

Nice find!

http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com

Contemporary Art November 29, 2008 at 11:42 pm

It’s always fascinating to see these figures we take for granted interact with a larger public. I like imagining Larry Gagosian shutting his doors because he realized his project is “impure.”

As to the back and forth about her comment about how she knows when she’s found good art, I think it’s important to differentiate between the way a dealer interacts with an artist she might represent and the way she sells that work to a collector. I doubt too many collectors are in an artist’s studio quizzing them on the best ways to market their work. The sales pitches, the convincing of skeptics, is generally the job of a dealer.

Smart collectors are skeptical because they are buying something they have little control over. A dealer is actually closer to an artist; they are running scenarios internally during the visit, but they have a good deal of control. They’re looking at potential rather than finished product. Even assuming a perfect situation in which an artist has total creative control over what goes into an exhibition and even what gets sold, the dealer is still in virtually all cases doing the job of arguing for the work. I think I still believe that artists shouldn’t be in the business of arguing for themselves, which leaves dealers with the feelings Boone described as tools for making decisions about her program.

Nice find!

http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com

Contemporary Art November 29, 2008 at 6:42 pm

It’s always fascinating to see these figures we take for granted interact with a larger public. I like imagining Larry Gagosian shutting his doors because he realized his project is “impure.”

As to the back and forth about her comment about how she knows when she’s found good art, I think it’s important to differentiate between the way a dealer interacts with an artist she might represent and the way she sells that work to a collector. I doubt too many collectors are in an artist’s studio quizzing them on the best ways to market their work. The sales pitches, the convincing of skeptics, is generally the job of a dealer.

Smart collectors are skeptical because they are buying something they have little control over. A dealer is actually closer to an artist; they are running scenarios internally during the visit, but they have a good deal of control. They’re looking at potential rather than finished product. Even assuming a perfect situation in which an artist has total creative control over what goes into an exhibition and even what gets sold, the dealer is still in virtually all cases doing the job of arguing for the work. I think I still believe that artists shouldn’t be in the business of arguing for themselves, which leaves dealers with the feelings Boone described as tools for making decisions about her program.

Nice find!

http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com

Hrag December 2, 2008 at 10:06 pm

Bathing in virgin blood probably keeps her young…and you’re right, she must bathe a lot!

Hrag December 2, 2008 at 10:06 pm

Bathing in virgin blood probably keeps her young…and you’re right, she must bathe a lot!

Hrag December 2, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Bathing in virgin blood probably keeps her young…and you’re right, she must bathe a lot!

traumajuice December 2, 2008 at 5:54 pm

Maureen Cavanaugh???You gotta be kidding.I feel this person has a barely coherent sense of line or color,and a schlocky approach to boot.I am embarassed by it.

traumajuice December 2, 2008 at 10:54 pm

Maureen Cavanaugh???You gotta be kidding.I feel this person has a barely coherent sense of line or color,and a schlocky approach to boot.I am embarassed by it.

traumajuice December 2, 2008 at 10:54 pm

Maureen Cavanaugh???You gotta be kidding.I feel this person has a barely coherent sense of line or color,and a schlocky approach to boot.I am embarassed by it.

John Tomlinson December 5, 2008 at 2:35 am

In the milieu she moves in, a mask is a must.

John Tomlinson December 5, 2008 at 2:35 am

In the milieu she moves in, a mask is a must.

John Tomlinson December 4, 2008 at 9:35 pm

In the milieu she moves in, a mask is a must.

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