The Great Nude Invitational Art Fair: Just What New York Needs

by Art Fag City on April 13, 2010 · 42 comments Newswire


Odd Nerdrum, Twilight (from the Transformations series), 1981, oil on canvas, 102 x 77 inches

Scope art fair co-founder, curator and dealer Robert Curcio asked himself “What does New York need?” and curiously came up with The Great Nude Invitational, the world’s only fair dedicated to the nude. “People are burnt out on the same old art fair and familiar art offered” Curcio told the press in a recent release, “we wanted to present a new fair with new ideas.”

No offense to Curcio, but he might have polled a few more fair goers before he came to that conclusion. This is a bad idea. For starters, themed shows almost never improve upon the standard art fair concept, because they always have a “special table for the kids” feel to them. Seeing as how contemporary artists have real trouble these days making life drawing, particularly that of the nude relevant, this fair certainly maintains the kiddy table feel. Add to this, that The Great Nude Invitational touts Odd Nerdrum as a host Committee member, and the fair’s got problems. This is an artist we’ve described as a someone, who if cited as an artistic influence, would completely discredit another artist’s work.

Regardless, those deeply invested in the nude, can check out the fair at The Roger Smith Hotel, May 13 – 16. Curator and critic Donald Kuspit, also a Host Committee member, will have his essay The Nude Ascending chronicling the resurgence of the nude over the past few years published in the catalogue and the website.

{ 42 comments }

tom moody April 13, 2010 at 3:17 pm

Odd Nerdrum has been around for decades–no viewer of art magazine ads has been able to escape those self-consciously quirky neoclassical paintings. You have to admit he has the greatest artist name ever (at least in English), combining both “odd” and “nerd” with a hint of “redrum.”

tom moody April 13, 2010 at 11:17 am

Odd Nerdrum has been around for decades–no viewer of art magazine ads has been able to escape those self-consciously quirky neoclassical paintings. You have to admit he has the greatest artist name ever (at least in English), combining both “odd” and “nerd” with a hint of “redrum.”

Reed April 13, 2010 at 5:54 pm

Not being a fan of Odd’s work or the idea of a nude themed artfair, i still feel inclined to ask the question by which basis you make your value judgements on what constitutes “good” art. I’m not making a judgement on your opinion but addressing a position you have stated frequently on your blog. I would be very interested in hearing your protocol for critical analysis. Not on what or who “good” art is not but what it “is”. This is not snarky but sincere. I would submit that art as an “action” could be quantifiable but taste is not. If thats all visual art and critics are interested in then its a sinking ship.

Reed April 13, 2010 at 1:54 pm

Not being a fan of Odd’s work or the idea of a nude themed artfair, i still feel inclined to ask the question by which basis you make your value judgements on what constitutes “good” art. I’m not making a judgement on your opinion but addressing a position you have stated frequently on your blog. I would be very interested in hearing your protocol for critical analysis. Not on what or who “good” art is not but what it “is”. This is not snarky but sincere. I would submit that art as an “action” could be quantifiable but taste is not. If thats all visual art and critics are interested in then its a sinking ship.

Mark Billy April 13, 2010 at 5:56 pm

I thought he wanted an art show where the viewers are nude.

Mark Billy April 13, 2010 at 1:56 pm

I thought he wanted an art show where the viewers are nude.

L.M. April 13, 2010 at 6:13 pm

I think it’s adorable. The first thing my mother used to ask any artist was: “So …do you paint NUDES?”

L.M. April 13, 2010 at 2:13 pm

I think it’s adorable. The first thing my mother used to ask any artist was: “So …do you paint NUDES?”

paul nordan April 13, 2010 at 6:48 pm

well, regardless, something in my pants just transformed

paul nordan April 13, 2010 at 2:48 pm

well, regardless, something in my pants just transformed

IAin'tGotNoStinkin'tv April 13, 2010 at 7:08 pm

Odd Nerdrum is unbelievably talented. Have you spent any with his drawings? They’re breathtaking. I also dig a lot of the paintings.

IAin'tGotNoStinkin'tv April 13, 2010 at 3:08 pm

Odd Nerdrum is unbelievably talented. Have you spent any with his drawings? They’re breathtaking. I also dig a lot of the paintings.

Art Fag City April 13, 2010 at 8:54 pm

@tommoody – God, I almost forgot about all those ads.

@Reed – I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you asking what my criteria for evaluating art is? What is art as an “action”? What is that makes criticism a sinking ship?

Art Fag City April 13, 2010 at 4:54 pm

@tommoody – God, I almost forgot about all those ads.

@Reed – I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you asking what my criteria for evaluating art is? What is art as an “action”? What is that makes criticism a sinking ship?

bigbutta April 14, 2010 at 12:25 am

i hate odd nerdrum

bigbutta April 13, 2010 at 8:25 pm

i hate odd nerdrum

Sean April 14, 2010 at 1:56 am

Hmm. I think the answer to “What does New York need?” might be: “fewer fairs overall” which,yes, is a grouchy reply.

Sean April 13, 2010 at 9:56 pm

Hmm. I think the answer to “What does New York need?” might be: “fewer fairs overall” which,yes, is a grouchy reply.

IAin'tGotNoStinkin'tv April 14, 2010 at 2:01 am

“would completely discredit another artist’s work”
Would you make the same sweeping statement about artists who cite Nancy Spero or Kiki Smith? Is it “icky” art you have a problem with? Does icky automatically equate to stupid in your mind? To make this statement about Nerdrum, seemingly based on a handful of paintings, seems short sighted. Do you feel the same way about artists influenced by Serrano or even Kiefer? I remember all those paintings he stacked up and jerked off on.

IAin'tGotNoStinkin'tv April 13, 2010 at 10:01 pm

“would completely discredit another artist’s work”
Would you make the same sweeping statement about artists who cite Nancy Spero or Kiki Smith? Is it “icky” art you have a problem with? Does icky automatically equate to stupid in your mind? To make this statement about Nerdrum, seemingly based on a handful of paintings, seems short sighted. Do you feel the same way about artists influenced by Serrano or even Kiefer? I remember all those paintings he stacked up and jerked off on.

Art Fag City April 14, 2010 at 2:09 am

Actually, the original point with that exercise (now buried in the AFC archives) is that it’s remarkably hard to make such a sweeping statement about any artist. Odd Nerdrum and Judy Chicago are the only artists on the list and an artist could conceivably come up with justifications for looking at both.

As for icky art, I probably don’t have a natural inclination towards it, but I also don’t dismiss those working in that vein. The painting above sports a wildly pretentious title and relies too heavily on a kind of sappy paint handling I’m not fond of. It’s really just icing on the cake that it’s a picture of a naked person shitting in forest.

Art Fag City April 13, 2010 at 10:09 pm

Actually, the original point with that exercise (now buried in the AFC archives) is that it’s remarkably hard to make such a sweeping statement about any artist. Odd Nerdrum and Judy Chicago are the only artists on the list and an artist could conceivably come up with justifications for looking at both.

As for icky art, I probably don’t have a natural inclination towards it, but I also don’t dismiss those working in that vein. The painting above sports a wildly pretentious title and relies too heavily on a kind of sappy paint handling I’m not fond of. It’s really just icing on the cake that it’s a picture of a naked person shitting in forest.

IAin'tGotNoStinkin'tv April 14, 2010 at 2:24 am

“It’s really just icing on the cake that it’s a picture of a naked person shitting in forest.”
HaHa! Yes, I can see how it can be seen as dripping with pretentiousness/stupidity. And approached from a certain perspective much of his work can be seen that way. His technical ability, so evident in his drawings, really is something else though. I think people who are really into Wagner and heavy metal would like Nerdrum.

IAin'tGotNoStinkin'tv April 13, 2010 at 10:24 pm

“It’s really just icing on the cake that it’s a picture of a naked person shitting in forest.”
HaHa! Yes, I can see how it can be seen as dripping with pretentiousness/stupidity. And approached from a certain perspective much of his work can be seen that way. His technical ability, so evident in his drawings, really is something else though. I think people who are really into Wagner and heavy metal would like Nerdrum.

Reed April 14, 2010 at 2:26 am

I would be interested in hearing your criteria for evaluating art. sounds interesting.
I guess you have to have absolute criteria in order to elevate criticism beyond taste making (not a slight). I think I would just like to hear a visual art critic talk purely about work from a taste of aesthetic point of view sometimes. seems a bit more intellectually honest. As for “visual art” as an action and sinking ship blabber.. I think its a discussion we can have outside of the blogosphere. No use bringing every dilettantes opinion into the whole thing. email me your response if you have the time. reed@reedbarrow.com
look forward to a dialog. thanks

Reed April 13, 2010 at 10:26 pm

I would be interested in hearing your criteria for evaluating art. sounds interesting.
I guess you have to have absolute criteria in order to elevate criticism beyond taste making (not a slight). I think I would just like to hear a visual art critic talk purely about work from a taste of aesthetic point of view sometimes. seems a bit more intellectually honest. As for “visual art” as an action and sinking ship blabber.. I think its a discussion we can have outside of the blogosphere. No use bringing every dilettantes opinion into the whole thing. email me your response if you have the time. reed@reedbarrow.com
look forward to a dialog. thanks

Jesse April 14, 2010 at 2:51 am

I found a copy of Nerdrum’s “On Kitsch” in a filthy bathroom in a random NYC pizza shop one night. So, his above painting fits both weirdly & perfectly into the origins of how I came to be aware of his existence (even the “wildly pretentious title” becomes significant here).

It’s also noteworthy that the imagery from one of his paintings was co-opted for one of the in-the-brain-of-a-serial-killer scenes of “The Cell.”

Still, without my idiosyncratic musings with his work, the most curious thing about “Twilight” is that the figure has a shirt on, but no pants. I’ve never crapped in the woods, but I’ve also never wandered the forest shoeless and without pants…

It’s also a pretty big painting, folks.

Jesse April 13, 2010 at 10:51 pm

I found a copy of Nerdrum’s “On Kitsch” in a filthy bathroom in a random NYC pizza shop one night. So, his above painting fits both weirdly & perfectly into the origins of how I came to be aware of his existence (even the “wildly pretentious title” becomes significant here).

It’s also noteworthy that the imagery from one of his paintings was co-opted for one of the in-the-brain-of-a-serial-killer scenes of “The Cell.”

Still, without my idiosyncratic musings with his work, the most curious thing about “Twilight” is that the figure has a shirt on, but no pants. I’ve never crapped in the woods, but I’ve also never wandered the forest shoeless and without pants…

It’s also a pretty big painting, folks.

tom moody April 14, 2010 at 3:24 am

What is IAin’tGotNoStinkin’tv’s support for saying AFC’s criticism of Nerdrum is “seemingly based on a handful of paintings”? And why does it matter if a critic makes “sweeping statements” about some artists but not others? AFC is clearly not the Odd Nerdrum fan page. What’s needed is a place for in-depth discussion of the Nerdrum Aesthetic. I would love to see a page called nerdsfornerdrum.com, replete with Socratic dialogues about the meaning of art, “absolute criteria,” and the like. I wouldn’t go there but it would be nice if it existed.

tom moody April 13, 2010 at 11:24 pm

What is IAin’tGotNoStinkin’tv’s support for saying AFC’s criticism of Nerdrum is “seemingly based on a handful of paintings”? And why does it matter if a critic makes “sweeping statements” about some artists but not others? AFC is clearly not the Odd Nerdrum fan page. What’s needed is a place for in-depth discussion of the Nerdrum Aesthetic. I would love to see a page called nerdsfornerdrum.com, replete with Socratic dialogues about the meaning of art, “absolute criteria,” and the like. I wouldn’t go there but it would be nice if it existed.

Reed April 14, 2010 at 2:47 pm

Tom
I second that idea.

Reed April 14, 2010 at 10:47 am

Tom
I second that idea.

Sarah Baker April 14, 2010 at 6:30 pm

A Crap Art Fair- An art fair which reveals the secrets of making crap art.

Sarah Baker April 14, 2010 at 2:30 pm

A Crap Art Fair- An art fair which reveals the secrets of making crap art.

Saul April 15, 2010 at 12:45 am

In general I think aesthetic taste should be addressed more openly and honestly in art criticism. The art world, like the fashion world, is very susceptible to styles and trends. Yet unlike the fashion world the art community tries to act like it’s above it. I ask why? Perhaps we don’t trust trends because they are fleeting, yet I’m not inclined to trust a critic who’s taste never evolves over time. Sure, we can all cite trends we find annoying but are trends as an entity bad, or invalid? They seem to reflect something about our larger cultural consciousness. And they give artists something to react in favor of or in opposition to. It might be worthwhile to pick a prevailing style or trend and try to unpack how and why it came to be so “of the moment”.

Saul April 14, 2010 at 8:45 pm

In general I think aesthetic taste should be addressed more openly and honestly in art criticism. The art world, like the fashion world, is very susceptible to styles and trends. Yet unlike the fashion world the art community tries to act like it’s above it. I ask why? Perhaps we don’t trust trends because they are fleeting, yet I’m not inclined to trust a critic who’s taste never evolves over time. Sure, we can all cite trends we find annoying but are trends as an entity bad, or invalid? They seem to reflect something about our larger cultural consciousness. And they give artists something to react in favor of or in opposition to. It might be worthwhile to pick a prevailing style or trend and try to unpack how and why it came to be so “of the moment”.

THOMAS JOHN TAYLOR April 15, 2010 at 6:29 pm

Let Freedom Prevail, I know discrimination first hand and painting has been my life. I would Love to have a New York Showing of Nudes I have painted in my Life of thousands of images created by an “Outsider” in 54 countries and still living below the poverty level.

THOMAS JOHN TAYLOR April 15, 2010 at 2:29 pm

Let Freedom Prevail, I know discrimination first hand and painting has been my life. I would Love to have a New York Showing of Nudes I have painted in my Life of thousands of images created by an “Outsider” in 54 countries and still living below the poverty level.

Richard T Scott April 20, 2010 at 5:52 pm

AFC,

Spoken like a true party member!
It doesn’t surprise me that you continue to support the Art Fascist State… the same 8th generation conceptualism, the same boring installations, the same used video, none of this is “new”, none of it is original, none of it adds anything new to our understanding of life, humanity, culture. Why is it relevant for a group of 100 or so dolts with a messianic complex to simply bat around esoteric, self referential comments that really have little or no meaning? Can’t you see that the larger contemporary art world is just a marketing scheme, whereby crap is sold as gold in order to line collector’s pockets?

Why is the nude less relevant?

Take off your clothes and look at yourself in the mirror. Regard your lover (if you have one). This is the fundamental basis of being alive – universally relevant.

Richard T Scott April 20, 2010 at 1:52 pm

AFC,

Spoken like a true party member!
It doesn’t surprise me that you continue to support the Art Fascist State… the same 8th generation conceptualism, the same boring installations, the same used video, none of this is “new”, none of it is original, none of it adds anything new to our understanding of life, humanity, culture. Why is it relevant for a group of 100 or so dolts with a messianic complex to simply bat around esoteric, self referential comments that really have little or no meaning? Can’t you see that the larger contemporary art world is just a marketing scheme, whereby crap is sold as gold in order to line collector’s pockets?

Why is the nude less relevant?

Take off your clothes and look at yourself in the mirror. Regard your lover (if you have one). This is the fundamental basis of being alive – universally relevant.

Adam April 27, 2010 at 4:26 pm

Hi everyone,

Funny discussion, the only observation I have is that whatever your taste may or may not be Odd is in fact the best at the type of painting he does and you are just not in his league. He is more talented and works harder than you guys.
Why don’t you just for once do the honest thing and admit you are jealous. It always feels better to stop pretending.
Ciao

Adam April 27, 2010 at 12:26 pm

Hi everyone,

Funny discussion, the only observation I have is that whatever your taste may or may not be Odd is in fact the best at the type of painting he does and you are just not in his league. He is more talented and works harder than you guys.
Why don’t you just for once do the honest thing and admit you are jealous. It always feels better to stop pretending.
Ciao

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