Judy Chicago thinks artists should study her career; Anonymous Was a Woman grants announced; The NYTimes looks down Old Masters; James Rosenquist's estate sells his townhouse; Lévy and Marino on collecting;

This commentary by Marion Maneker is available to AMMpro subscribers. (The first month of AMMpro is free and subscribers are welcome to sign up for the first month and cancel before they are billed.)

Patriarchy is Passé

One of the big winners to come out of Art Basel in Miami Beach was Judy Chicago whose survey at the ICA was all over Instagram and much remarked upon elsewhere. New York Magazine’s saturation coverage of the art world included an interview with the artist:

• “And what would you tell a young artist, specifically, about the art world? If a young woman wants to be an artist — if she really wants to know the truth about what she’s going to encounter — she should study my career. Because my career is a roadmap that outlines the difficulties. […] I’ve seen a lot of women along the way who’ve thought it was something wrong with them when they faced discrimination, obstacles, rejection, etc. That’s been unfortunate. One woman came to an event this week and told me a story that I’ve heard a million times. She was in art school in the ‘90s and she was inspired by my work, and I guess it showed. She had all-male professors, and they said, “Who are you trying to be? Judy Chicago?” They said, “Feminism is passé.” And I said to her, “Yeah, but patriarchy is not.” If she had been influenced by Jeff Koons, they never would have said that.”

• “Speaking of Jeff Koons, I see that you’re getting a lot of questions about corporate feminism, and partnering with a fashion brand like MaxMara on T-shirts. I don’t think anyone asked him about selling out when he partnered with Louis Vuitton. Finally, I came up with an answer. I said: “Well, I’d rather market feminism than the patriarchy.” […] I agree that we have to be careful about articulating that it’s change we’re after, not profit. Change. Do I like it that people are marketing Dinner Party plates with historical information on the back about the woman represented? Yes, I like that.”