Tom Sachs vs Jeff Koons

Atelier van Tom Sachs (Bron: The Selby, foto's: Todd Selby)








Studio van Jeff Koons (bron: 16 Miles of String's photostream, foto's: Andrew Russeth)

"Studio Practices: SACHS v. KOONS
The average amount of time a viewer spends looking at a work of art is measured in seconds. In those fleeting seconds, the viewer reacts and the psyche deliberates—thumbs up or thumbs down. Many artists hire studio assistants to help carry out their vision yet some viewers find this practice unacceptable and often reject the work as the artist’s sole creation. Today, the viewer is increasingly aware of the absence of the artist’s hand and the common practice of studio assistants. Artists such as Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and Jeff Koons are household names associated with the factory production of art. Alex Rüger, Curator of Dutch paintings at The National Gallery in London, believes the practice of Master and workshop is alive and well. Rüger says, “The workshop may no longer be technical, but if hundreds of people apply should Julian Opie advertise for an assistant, it suggests that the basis of the studio of the very famous artist has not changed, just the motives, and the artist’s ‘name’ remains every bit as important” [1]. While hired help enables the process of creation on both standard and grand scales, contemporary artists are sometimes criticized for claiming credit when assistants are involved. How does the process of making influence the viewer’s reaction and is the fact that assistants are not credited as collaborators the issue?" (bron: witneydail, tekst: Whitney A. Dail)

Een interessant artikel over het gebruik van assistenten in de kunstenaarspraktijk aan de hand van twee kunstenaars met een totaal verschillende invalshoek. Zie in dit verband ook de ateliers/werkplaatsen van o.a. Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormly en Damien Hirst. De schrijfster van het artikel lijkt wat meer sympatie te hebben voor de werkwijze van Tom Sachs. (hk)