Dave Hickey Response by Chris Pearce

In Custodians of culture: Schoolyard Art: Playing Without the Referee, Dave Hickey describes how the art world has transformed over the past years. What was once a prominent way of an artist expressing a point and being judged on how their work has depicted their emotions has turned into art dealers creating the real value of the work. Another critic who harbors the same feelings is Robert Hughes. In “The Mona Lisa Curse” Mr. Hughes describes how the art world has become corrupt by people who run up the price of the artwork because they merely can. Both critics are right in their assessment of the art world and have similar opinions on what has happened.
Mr. Hickey describes the art world as a “place to piss away money.” Artists use to work in their studios and then took their pieces to galleries. The galleries then sold the work to members of the community. When the community purchased a great deal of work from a certain artist type of art, then that work had some form of public virtue and had a public show at a museum. This does not happen anymore. Since the government has receeded in funding the art business, the art market has gone over the edge. Now, an art show is put on because it is economically beneficial to an institution. It is no longer just a great way to view art but is presented to the viewers to make an offer. The art dealers pride themselves in creating the value of the art buy how much they purchase it. Mr. Hickey is completely against this practice and wishes things were the way they use to be as the art market is ruining what art was meant to be.
Robert Hughes also agrees with Mr. Hickey’s views. He believes the art world has gone off the deep end and has made artists who do not deserve to be well known into some of the most popular artists known to date. Their work is only respected because of the price tags they draw. The artists were dubbed popular when someone is willing to purchase their work for what it is not even close to what the real value of their work should be. Mr. Hughes is disgruntled at this and how no one seems to see how the art world is run by those who have the money to spend on a certain piece of work. The whole documentary you can see his frustration on how the art world will never be the same to him as it once did when he was younger.
Both critics are able to provide a strong case for why the art world is not what it should be. The art world has turned into a place where anyone who creates what they call art and has a backing of someone who is willing to put their money behind that artists work can make that artist very successful. It is very disappointing to hear this because what will art be like for the next generation?