round 1
Lorna Simpson
“Necklines,” 1989.
“Necklines,” 1989.
Guerrilla Girls
“The Advantages of Being A Woman Artist,” 1988.
“The Advantages of Being A Woman Artist,” 1988.
Guerrilla Girls
Both are female artists working with highly political content and, while both groups have their reach, there is power in numbers. Simpson stays in the art gallery, while the Guerilla Girls bleed out on to the streets, the NY Book Fair and into the minds of contemporary tactical media artists.
Lorna Simpson, “Necklines,” 1989.
Gerhard Richter
“Said,” 1983 (pictured) and “Schädel (Skull),” 1983.
“Said,” 1983 (pictured) and “Schädel (Skull),” 1983.
Raymond Pettibon
“No Title” (Begging to be Understood), 1991.
“No Title” (Begging to be Understood), 1991.
Raymond Pettibon
Both Richter and Pettibon designed the album covers of Sonic Youth Albums (Pettibon designed “Goo” and Richter designed the cover of “Daydream Nation”), and while “Daydream Nation” is a better album musically, “Goo” is the better cover.
Guerrilla Girls
We’re starting to feel bad for everyone that’s going to come up against the Guerilla Girls because not only are they anonymous, but you’re never quite sure how many of them there are. Pettibon holds his own with punk credibility for sure, but the Guerilla Girls claim to have over 100 members. Ray, baby, sorry but it’s a numbers game.
round 2
Paul McCarthy
(with Mike Kelley) “Family Tyranny (Modeling and Molding),” 1987. Video transferred to DVD
(with Mike Kelley) “Family Tyranny (Modeling and Molding),” 1987. Video transferred to DVD
Mike Kelley
“More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and The Wages of Sin,” 1987.Stuffed fabric toys and afghans on canvas with dried corn; wax candles on wood and metal base
“More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and The Wages of Sin,” 1987.Stuffed fabric toys and afghans on canvas with dried corn; wax candles on wood and metal base
Paul McCarthy
You would think that with two Mike Kelly’s running, Mike Kelly should definitely win, and if we were running this like the Oscars, he would (à la Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight”). But we’re not. This compares more like Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and Jay Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne.” The former is a great album, but the latter has to win on sheer force of awesomeness.
Cindy Sherman
“Untitled #153,” 1985.
Chromogenic development print
“Untitled #153,” 1985.
Chromogenic development print
Robert Mapplethorpe
“Man in Suit,” 1980.
“Man in Suit,” 1980.
Robert Mapplethorpe
The progeny of both Mapplethorpe and Sherman are annoying — as any shopping trip through the IKEA art department will illustrate — but no one has caused quite a culture war like Robert Mapplethorpe. Museums, galleries and curators live with the silent fear of raising such ire again.
Robert Mapplethorpe,
“Man in Suit,” 1980.
Paul McCarthy
This is where things start to get ugly: two artists who specialize in controversy going up against each other. While we have a special respect for Mapplethorpe, no one does shock like Paul McCarthy. The game is called when the audience can no longer stand the smell of McCarthy’s work.
battle winner
Guerilla Girls
Paul McCarthy (video)
Guerrilla Girls
McCarthy has gotten pretty far on shock value here and even we’re getting uncomfortable with the amount of ketchup he puts on his hot dog, but the equally hardcore Guerilla Girls will not have their game thrown by distracting antics. While McCarthy’s work cannot be unseen, the Guerilla Girls have used tactics of anonymity and infiltration which informs a number of contemporary artist collectives, including activists in the Occupy movement as well as Anonymous.
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