From The Archives Of Frieda Kane's Art World -Once Again In Defense Of Art Critic Laura Perkins

From The Archives Of Frieda Kane's Art World -Once Again In Defense Of Art Critic Laura Perkins

By Eric Saint James

Recently I had to go down in the mud with one Clarence Dewar, art critic, I love to say this, professional art critic for Art Today to “save the honor” of amateur art critic Laura Perkins when he cut her with the remark that she should take up crocheting or some such silly sport and leave the heavy lifting criticism to the big boys and girls, basically him. I made a few pithy remarks about knowing him and his ilk back in the day and that I knew where the bodies were buried. If some snooty snide words from me are all Clarence has had to endure in his seedy baggy pants little life he has gotten off pretty easy.      

In that commentary I challenged Clarence to come at me with his two-bit noise and back off from Laura Perkins. Well, as expected he has yet to said peep one about my slashings but he is back on the case with Laura over her commentary about the late 19^th century German artist Frieda Kane (the sister of Gustav Klimt, or maybe step-sister). Ms. Perkins made what seemed to me the unremarkable but astute comment that Ms. Kane in her attempts to connect with common culture, peasant culture at least as it existed in Germany tended to spend too much effort on rural landscapes and fauna and flora. She seemed kind of repetitive and imitative despite the welcome uncovering of her work as part of the general art and social trend to “discover” previously unknown women painters and sculptors. Clarence had a fit, went crazy saying that Ms. Kane was breathe of fresh air in the overstuffed urban-oriented and urban critical German (and Austrian) art world.          

What Clarence probably did not count on and Ms. Perkins I assume was unaware of was the real motivation for Mr. Dewar’s brittle if fervent defense of Ms. Kane’s output. I mentioned in that previous defense of Ms. Perkins around her comments about modern artist Franz Golder the following which remains true in this case and bears repeating.

“Despite what the general public may think the art world is a monstrously dark and dungeon-like place, a place where no quarter is given, none taken where cannibalism is the rule of the day not the exception. Not the art works or the places but the ragamuffin denizens from the starchy volunteer guides to the low-life art gallery owners who plague the markets and who drain the life’s blood out of whatever elevation of human culture even the most contrite and unworthy artist had sweated blood and tears to offer on the altar. What I can’t abide is bullying by the professional cabal from bottom to top of those who have some serious interest art, have some knowledge and who dare to give an opinion not totally in step with whoever is the arbiter of the day, usually some airhead professional art critic who is secretly “on the take,” raking in kale from the gallery owners and auctioneers.”

That brings us directly to the nub of the problem. The role, the perfidious role of the art gallery owners and to a lesser extent the auctioneers who need not concern in this situation. The wormy art gallery owners are strictly in the business of moving artworks and making kale, nothing else really. They have unbelievable influence on art buyers by their hungry huntings for new works with which to tout. That was the case with Larry Larsen at the Nova Galleries in New York City. He had decided, decided early to his small credit, that seeking out earlier unknown or neglected women artists was the next “hot” trend. Along the way among others Larry “discovered” Freida Kane and grabbed a bunch of her paintings at a decent price in order to make a killing. Whether art good or bad should be treated as a commodity like steel or rubber balls I won’t go into right now.      

Enter Clarence Dewar, oh yeah, profession art critic and general shill for whoever had enough dough to whet his degenerate appetite for cocaine I believe it is these days. Clarence started in the old days working his ass off for professional art critic Clement Greenberg when he was touting, successfully touting for a while abstract expressionism. I will admit Clement really did make the market for that genre, pushed more now dissolving or discarded high-priced works, including everything Jackson Pollack ever produced, than anybody. This is how it works though for professional art critics for glossy art publications who get paid starvation money to grind out their pablum.

Enter art gallery owners and in Clarence’s case Larry Larsen. To make some money and get invited to various gala events almost every art critic “sells” him or herself to some gallery owner to act as a press agent, a flak-catcher if necessary. To push the merchandise really, especially the overstocked stuff like most of Freida Kane’s which despite a big gala and fanfare including the inevitable glowing article by Dewar did not, has not sold well. Hence Clarence’s tirade and insults against Ms. Perkins who is only stating the obvious and commenting on what the least discerning collectors know- her stuff is boring.   

I know this will do no good, but again Clarence back off or I will spill many more beans.