Saturday, August 27, 2011

"Real Art Historians of New Jersey"

I have it on good authority--though my source wants to remain anonymous for the usual reasons--that three art historians (two based in New Jersey, and one from neighboring New York) have been signed on for the pilot of what might be a smash hit reality show to be called "The Real Art Historians of New Jersey." It's about time art (history) got into the lucrative reality business if you ask me. Because I am getting tired of this conference-classroom-gallery-museum-art fair hermetic, unreal world of art/history. We need a dose of, or it is a window to, the real. No? The question of course is this: Will a show like this cause a lot a damage to art history's already troubled reputation as an irrelevant, highly expendable discipline, or will it ensure more popular support for art and its institutions? As for its entertainment quotient, thankfully art history has enough colorful, goofy, smart, buffed, sassy, foulmouthed, cameraphilic characters to make other fake "Real XYZ of ABCs" or the stupidly good old "Jersey Shore"  seem like civic infomercials! I hope they will throw in some high-flying artist, curator and collector characters to heat up the whole thing. If I were a consultant, I could recommend quite a few to the casting director!
Can't wait to see the show which I understand will be available on basic cable tv. 

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