Let the master talk.
I first tried to skip that tricky deadline, in the middle of real holidays, with a mild pun on appropriation practices in contemporary art. Until I saw Robert Hughes (1938-2012) 2004 The New Shock of the New, and his vigorous defence of some of today’s greatest artists: Ansel Kiefer, Paula Rego, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Sean Scully – they are not on the appropriation fashion. Here you have the Youtube version of Hughes’ piece:
The New Shock of The New. Robert Hughes, 2004
It prompted a revision of Hughes classical bestseller Shock of the New (McGraw Hill, 1991, from $28.46 at Amazon).
And talking of Sean Scully, you can now visit his Classical Greece inspired Doric show at IVAM Valencia (July 26 – October 28, c. Guillem de Castro 118, Valencia, admissions €2.-). Besides, his Stations of he Cross will not have to wait for long to be hung in the church they are intended for, Santa Cecilia in Montserrat hills near Barcelona. According to the latest news I heard, the Patronat de la Muntanya de Montserrat, the public trust in charge of Montserrat’s management, is engaging itself wih the last step of the project: pooling the funds for the works needed to accommodate Scully’s paintings in the little Romanesque temple.
Shall we therefore wonder at Hughes, like Scully, being a true lover of Barcelona? As a matter of fact, he wrote the most memorable of its guides (Barcelona, 1993, $10.20 at Amazon).
