This was originally going to be a list of the best art exhibitions of 2014. Then I realized that I don't know what "best" means. What criteria should be used to appraise merit? With or without criteria, such a list would be purely subjective: it wouldn't be about the best art exhibitions of 2014; it would be a mere reflection of my favorite exhibitions among those that I happened to have seen in 2014. The twofold contingencies of my taste and what exhibitions I saw this year add up to complete arbitrariness with regard to real quality; especially as the selection of shows I attended was already contingent upon my geographic location, time, and, of course, the sensibilities that drew me to those shows in the first place.
Suddenly, I realized how imperfect an arbiter I would be. I simply couldn't write such a list with a clear conscience--what if I missed an important exhibition, or extolled a show that more important people had agreed upon as bad?
In pondering these ideas and in reading others' lists, I became so confused that I lost my ability to think clearly enough to determine what 2014's best exhibitions would be; or maybe I never even possessed that ability in the first place.
Either way, I can't decide for myself, much less anyone who might be reading this. So I defer to other writers and artists, many of whom are more knowledgeable than I, who doubtless have seen far more shows than I have this year and are therefore more qualified to make such judgments. Why not let them think for me?
Artforum
The entire December issue of Artforum is the consummate comprehensive collection of "Best of 2014" lists encompassing various formats, including a section called "The Artists' Artists," in which "Artforum asked an international group of artists to select the single image, exhibition or event that most memorably captured their eye in 2014." Artforum's sheer number of lists in a multiplicity of formats by a diverse and multifarious roster of art world personalities is hard to top.
Los Angeles Times
In his "Best of 2014" list, Christopher Knight focuses solely on Los Angeles art museum shows, a scope that is sufficiently limited in geographic location and venue type to make the list meaningful. As a counterpoint, he throws in a show he thought was terrible, finding in it the lesson that "Even the best and most influential artists can have a very bad day."
New York Times
Roberta Smith approaches her list of the year's top art shows from the novel angle of installation design. Meanwhile, Holland Cotter humbly omits superlatives in his title, "Notable Art Events of 2014," examining not only exhibitions; but also deaths, politics, and other happenings.
The Wall Street Journal
Karen Wilkin's "Best of 2014" is eloquently informative. I hadn't seen any of the shows she mentions; but after reading her piece and looking at the photos that went along with it, I felt like I had.
The Huffington Post
In her eclectic list, Priscilla Frank champions artists that are no less significant for being quirky or offbeat with regard to prevailing currents or traditional art-historical narratives.
Blouin Artinfo
Scott Indrisek's "Best Exhibitions of 2014" features an interesting array of artists, prefaced by the author's acknowledgement that his enumeration is, in fact, very subjective.
Come to think of it, the foregoing list of lists is entirely subjective. Maybe I should have just written my own. Oh, well; there's always next year.
Like holiday gifts, year-end "Best of" lists present us with subjectively curated highlights constrained by the artificial receptacle of a calendar year and embellished by dazzling superlatives, parceling the events of the past twelve months into neat little packages around which we may easily wrap our minds. That is why they're so addicting--and somewhat dubious.
Suddenly, I realized how imperfect an arbiter I would be. I simply couldn't write such a list with a clear conscience--what if I missed an important exhibition, or extolled a show that more important people had agreed upon as bad?
In pondering these ideas and in reading others' lists, I became so confused that I lost my ability to think clearly enough to determine what 2014's best exhibitions would be; or maybe I never even possessed that ability in the first place.
Either way, I can't decide for myself, much less anyone who might be reading this. So I defer to other writers and artists, many of whom are more knowledgeable than I, who doubtless have seen far more shows than I have this year and are therefore more qualified to make such judgments. Why not let them think for me?
Artforum
The entire December issue of Artforum is the consummate comprehensive collection of "Best of 2014" lists encompassing various formats, including a section called "The Artists' Artists," in which "Artforum asked an international group of artists to select the single image, exhibition or event that most memorably captured their eye in 2014." Artforum's sheer number of lists in a multiplicity of formats by a diverse and multifarious roster of art world personalities is hard to top.
Los Angeles Times
In his "Best of 2014" list, Christopher Knight focuses solely on Los Angeles art museum shows, a scope that is sufficiently limited in geographic location and venue type to make the list meaningful. As a counterpoint, he throws in a show he thought was terrible, finding in it the lesson that "Even the best and most influential artists can have a very bad day."
New York Times
Roberta Smith approaches her list of the year's top art shows from the novel angle of installation design. Meanwhile, Holland Cotter humbly omits superlatives in his title, "Notable Art Events of 2014," examining not only exhibitions; but also deaths, politics, and other happenings.
The Wall Street Journal
Karen Wilkin's "Best of 2014" is eloquently informative. I hadn't seen any of the shows she mentions; but after reading her piece and looking at the photos that went along with it, I felt like I had.
The Huffington Post
In her eclectic list, Priscilla Frank champions artists that are no less significant for being quirky or offbeat with regard to prevailing currents or traditional art-historical narratives.
Blouin Artinfo
Scott Indrisek's "Best Exhibitions of 2014" features an interesting array of artists, prefaced by the author's acknowledgement that his enumeration is, in fact, very subjective.
Come to think of it, the foregoing list of lists is entirely subjective. Maybe I should have just written my own. Oh, well; there's always next year.
Like holiday gifts, year-end "Best of" lists present us with subjectively curated highlights constrained by the artificial receptacle of a calendar year and embellished by dazzling superlatives, parceling the events of the past twelve months into neat little packages around which we may easily wrap our minds. That is why they're so addicting--and somewhat dubious.