“The greatest American artist of his generation.” That is how
Michael Kimmelman, chief art critic of The New York Times,
described the video and performance artist Matthew Barney. You
have probably heard of Matthew Barney by now. He was recently the
subject of a long and respectful profile in The New Yorker by
Calvin Tompkins. The New York Times has been singing his
praises for years. In one signature work called “Field Dressing
(Orifill),” this great artist is depicted in a video
“climbing”—we quote Mr.
Kimmelman—“naked up a pole and cables and applying dollops of
Vaseline to his orifices.”
If you remain skeptical about Mr. Barney’s achievement, you now
have the opportunity to judge for yourself. A “major exhibition” of
Mr. Barney’s work (why are all exhibitions these days prefaced by
the adjective “major”?) will be on view at
the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum through June 11. Fans of Mr. Barney’s work will be pleased
to know that “Cremaster,” his five-part film cycle inspired by
the muscle that raises and lowers the testicles, will be
screened daily. The show hadn’t opened when we went to press, so
we cannot comment on the particulars of the exhibition.
Nevertheless, we thought readers might like to know something
about the preparations the Guggenheim had to make for this
celebration of “the most important American artist of his
generation.” Genius, we know, can be demanding. The New York
Times reminds us that it can be potentially messy as well. Among
the logistical problems the Guggenheim faced in accommodating Mr.
Barney’s work was storing one ton of Vaseline at the proper
temperature. This is “the most important American artist of his
generation” we are talking about, so the Landmarks Preservation
Commission was quick to give the Guggenheim permission to build a
temporary wooden enclosure on the roof of its Frank Lloyd Wright
building to
keep the goo at the required
air-conditioned temperature. Vaseline, the Times explained,
will be seen running down the
interior of the Guggenheim’s rotunda in specially designed
troughs. Frozen Vaseline will cover the front of an Art Deco bar.
… [A] hidden hose, fed from the roof enclosure
through the museum’s lighting system, would keep the Vaseline on
the bar at 17 degrees so it holds its shape.
The curator chiefly responsible for this homage to Mr.
Barney described the exhibition as “among the most exhilarating”
of all the “complex and eccentric exhibitions” the Guggenheim has
mounted. Perhaps. It certainly threatens to be among the most
oleaginous. Of course, visitors will be told not to touch the,
ah, works of art. But it is reassuring to know that the
Guggenheim promises to have “paper towels on hand” in case of accidents.
It was Oscar Wilde who observed that life imitates art. The
spectacle of Matthew Barney being hailed as “the most important
American artist of his generation” and taking up valuable real
estate in a premier New York museum for almost four months could
have come straight from the acid satirical imaginings of Evelyn
Waugh. What a swindle.
