Amateurism in art is flourishing. Breaking the rules, even knowing nothing about them, ties in with a generally felt need to escape the regime of the market, the professionals, the authorities. The American artist Jim Shaw knows that not everybody can be an amateur. To make a work of art look amateurish, you have to really know what you’re doing.
Tate Modern is currently showing a large exhibition of John Baldessari's work. A year ago METROPOLIS M published this interview. Catherine Taft visited Baldessari's studio and spoke with him about his life as an artist and teacher of art.
John Baldessari is the winner of the B.A.C.A. International 2008. The Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht is currently showing a large exhibition of his work, for which it collaborated with students from the Jan van Eyck Institute. It is an indication of the extent to which Baldessari is not only a respected artist but also a beloved teacher. Catherine Taft looked him up in his studio in Los Angeles and spoke with him about his life as an artist and teacher of art.
She is known for being an astute observer of the art world who has assumed the guises of a critical tour guide, a spectator molesting a pillar of the Guggenheim Bilbao, a flamboyant samba dancer and a stripping speaker for an art opening. Since recently Andrea Fraser teaches (very properly) at UCLA, but even there she cannot stop performing. Prompted by her forthcoming exhibition at De Hallen Haarlem, a conversation about the development of her oeuvre.
