Comments on: Dear Lindsay Pollock: Basel Ain’t All Schnitzel and Cheval Blanc

By: David

David — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:09:44 +0000

Pollock is likely targeting a different audience, for whom her kind of writing is the cat’s meow, and as such quite accurate. These are the ills of the art fairs. AFC’s audience is clearly different, and the event gets represented differently here.

I’ve always kind of wondered about reporting on art fairs at all, as the audience of art fairs generally matches Pollock’s audience more than AFC’s. It has seemed weird to me that they have been treated similarly to exhibitions (although I recognize there are different approaches to art fairs, some perceived more like exhibitions.) They seem to be a product of the ‘boom’. So, maybe Basel ain’t all Schnitzel and Cheval Blanc, but it kind of is, since if it weren’t it probably wouldn’t exist.

By: Art Fag City

Art Fag City — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:49:44 +0000

@chad Pollock is a reporter so her beat really isn’t responding to the art. That’s fine, but as Karen’s title suggests, Basel ain’t all Schnitzel and Cheval Blanc

By: chad

chad — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:06:26 +0000

Kick Ass AFC. Perhaps if Pollock and company spent more time looking at the art and not gawking at celebrities and trying to get into parties they would be able to formulate a critical assessment of the work instead of pandering to the celebrity culture club. But hey, I guess one writes about what one knows, but I for one don’t want to read that nonsense.

By: Art Fag City

Art Fag City — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:45:33 +0000

@Allison You’re right to point out that not all of it is untrue, though it is quite misleading. “Chic” collectors “wearing the latest tans from the Biennale” may have attended the fair but most buyers did not fit that description. No trails of cigar smoke were left anywhere, (though you can smoke inside Volta). I’d really like to see this kind of writing retired.

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:39:40 +0000

What is exactly is inaccurate about it? I can’t say I’m in Basel but her description sounds fairly plausible. Sure, Pollock’s mood-setting details tend to be gratuitous but I would hesitate to suggest they weren’t necessarily true. You haven’t really described a Basel that could not be the same as hers. Posting incendiary comments about her reporting without clear evidence to give weight to your claims makes you sounds a little… disgruntled?

By: Karen Archey

Karen Archey — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:43:12 +0000

Can I get reality points instead of street cred points?

By: Art Fag City

Art Fag City — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:43:00 +0000

@wwiiggss No. Street cred points are not allotted to both of us. It’s one thing to report on collector culture it’s quite another to present a sycophantic glamorization of that scene. It’s an inaccurate report, and we’re calling Pollock out for it. And it’s a questionably challenged journalistic practice to hope that readers who haven’t been here or don’t know anything about the scene will be able to “discern” these falsehoods. We’re all better off without this kind of crap permeating the art world.

By: wwiiggss

wwiiggss — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:39:52 +0000

Well, the camper van is your experience and Cheval Blanc is hers. Street cred points for both of you!

From this end, yours and hers are both interesting, valid point of views and you have to assume readers are smart enough to discern information for themselves.

By: b.s.

b.s. — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:28:25 +0000

ha ha ha give ‘em hell.