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I highly recommend this Artnet Magazine review of these two shows. Mr. Ben Davis, after introducing the #1 – ranked Art Contender in the world, with combined unified titles as; Number One Artist, Number One Artist/Collector and Number One Celebrity/Artist/Curator, Mr. Jeff Koons, New York’s own Triple Threat- “Mr. Unbelievable”, versus, the, as yet curatorially unranked, however much more universally well-known, and beloved by fans, big and small the world over, the Fearless Art World Upstart, The Art Dark Horse, The Thousand To One Longshot, The Rocky Balboa-Type of Blood and Guts Art Curation, Shaquille O’Neal. Mr. Davis gaves the fighters their final instructions, no low blows, “And, oh yeah: On top of this common obsession with size, both shows’ titles also contain a reference to dicks.”nnAfter that critic turned referee Ben Davis fearlessly hops into the ring with these twin gargantuans of their respective fields and gives us a blow-by-blow recapitulation of four distinct rounds of very thoughtful and extremely well-informed curatorial judging. Round 1: Artists Selected, Round 2: Organization, Round 3: Ego and Round 4: Overall Impression…. of both shows. And from the very start it is an extremely exciting contest. This review had me on the edge of my seat. At this point I’m forced to admit that I haven’t seen either one of these shows yet, however reading this review I’m extremely excited and motivated to go see them both in one day as soon as possible? Because without this review I would’ve thought it would be a no contest? Shaq, as the over the hill, slaphappy palooka Rocky Balboa in “Rocky” compared to Jeff Koons’s undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed, who has the unconditional backing of the art world’s answer to the flamboyant boxing promoter Don King, Uber Collector, and New Museum board member Dakis Joannou, as his manager, trainer, corner and cut man? (Don’t get in that ring Shaq, is not a contest it’s suicide!)nnSo, even after 17 brutal years in the NBA Shaq, massively overmatched, institutionally, financially, curatorially, and let’s face it artistically! But with the eye of the tiger and with super human bull like determination he answers the bell at every round, and even though he takes a brutal institutional punishing at the hands of a much larger exhibition space, he steadfastly refuses to stay down, even when repeatedly knocked down, eventually he begins to use his secret weapon, “the rope a trope”, an artistic variant of Mohamed Ali’s successful “rope a dope” defense, by taking relentlessly absorbing these withering punches from the king of the art world, his “the rope a trope,” (or meme, a postulated unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena) starts to wear on the exquisitely institutionally conditioned and qualified reigning champ Koons, because as Ben Davis notes early on, “The two spectacles, indeed, have a remarkably similar feel. In both cases, ironic post-conceptual sculpture is front and center, along with a fair amount of painting and photography of a slick, media-smart type. Partly this just reflects the taste represented by the respective collections that Shaq and Koons are working from…” And Shaq, like Rocky, proves that heart is as strong as talent when it comes to taste. Or something like that?nnSpoiler Alert: In the end it’s not even a split decision, Art Referee Ben Davis rates the contest a Draw! Which, in and of itself, is one of the most shocking outcomes that could ever have been expected for this type of Cash of Titans? The art bookies must be sick with disbelief? A Draw? Doesn’t that automatically call for a rematch, which considering the shellacking that both brawlers took in this contest, I’d be surprised they accepted? nnAnd a lot has been said, and whispered, murmured and shouted about how this fight was rigged, the fix was in, it was nothing more than a big payday for the boxing promoter, I mean major collector? But here we have another exquisite example of the revenge of art history? I think everybody wins; the foundation, the museum, the collector, the artist/curator, and even Shaq. In the words of that Tom Petty song, “You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down.”nnHowever, I think that Ben Davis was kind to rate it a Draw. I think on the most subjective pop cultural round, Round 3: Ego, Shaq probably one that went too, so he was robbed as the new Unified Champ. But we learned that still undisputed reigning champ of the art world, Jeff Koons, though bloodied but unbeaten, still has a reputation of such length and girth as to cast an epic priapic shadow over the entire art world, yet he remains the extremely polite and thoughtful champion he has grown to be.

I highly recommend this Artnet Magazine review of these two shows. Mr. Ben Davis, after introducing the #1 – ranked Art Contender in the world, with combined unified titles as; Number One Artist, Number One Artist/Collector and Number One Celebrity/Artist/Curator, Mr. Jeff Koons, New York’s own Triple Threat- “Mr. Unbelievable”, versus, the, as yet curatorially unranked, however much more universally well-known, and beloved by fans, big and small the world over, the Fearless Art World Upstart, The Art Dark Horse, The Thousand To One Longshot, The Rocky Balboa-Type of Blood and Guts Art Curation, Shaquille O’Neal. Mr. Davis gaves the fighters their final instructions, no low blows, “And, oh yeah: On top of this common obsession with size, both shows’ titles also contain a reference to dicks.”\n\nAfter that critic turned referee Ben Davis fearlessly hops into the ring with these twin gargantuans of their respective fields and gives us a blow-by-blow recapitulation of four distinct rounds of very thoughtful and extremely well-informed curatorial judging. Round 1: Artists Selected, Round 2: Organization, Round 3: Ego and Round 4: Overall Impression…. of both shows. And from the very start it is an extremely exciting contest. This review had me on the edge of my seat. At this point I’m forced to admit that I haven’t seen either one of these shows yet, however reading this review I’m extremely excited and motivated to go see them both in one day as soon as possible? Because without this review I would’ve thought it would be a no contest? Shaq, as the over the hill, slaphappy palooka Rocky Balboa in “Rocky” compared to Jeff Koons’s undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed, who has the unconditional backing of the art world’s answer to the flamboyant boxing promoter Don King, Uber Collector, and New Museum board member Dakis Joannou, as his manager, trainer, corner and cut man? (Don’t get in that ring Shaq, is not a contest it’s suicide!)\n\nSo, even after 17 brutal years in the NBA Shaq, massively overmatched, institutionally, financially, curatorially, and let’s face it artistically! But with the eye of the tiger and with super human bull like determination he answers the bell at every round, and even though he takes a brutal institutional punishing at the hands of a much larger exhibition space, he steadfastly refuses to stay down, even when repeatedly knocked down, eventually he begins to use his secret weapon, “the rope a trope”, an artistic variant of Mohamed Ali’s successful “rope a dope” defense, by taking relentlessly absorbing these withering punches from the king of the art world, his “the rope a trope,” (or meme, a postulated unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena) starts to wear on the exquisitely institutionally conditioned and qualified reigning champ Koons, because as Ben Davis notes early on, “The two spectacles, indeed, have a remarkably similar feel. In both cases, ironic post-conceptual sculpture is front and center, along with a fair amount of painting and photography of a slick, media-smart type. Partly this just reflects the taste represented by the respective collections that Shaq and Koons are working from…” And Shaq, like Rocky, proves that heart is as strong as talent when it comes to taste. Or something like that?\n\nSpoiler Alert: In the end it’s not even a split decision, Art Referee Ben Davis rates the contest a Draw! Which, in and of itself, is one of the most shocking outcomes that could ever have been expected for this type of Cash of Titans? The art bookies must be sick with disbelief? A Draw? Doesn’t that automatically call for a rematch, which considering the shellacking that both brawlers took in this contest, I’d be surprised they accepted? \n\nAnd a lot has been said, and whispered, murmured and shouted about how this fight was rigged, the fix was in, it was nothing more than a big payday for the boxing promoter, I mean major collector? But here we have another exquisite example of the revenge of art history? I think everybody wins; the foundation, the museum, the collector, the artist/curator, and even Shaq. In the words of that Tom Petty song, “You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down.”\n\nHowever, I think that Ben Davis was kind to rate it a Draw. I think on the most subjective pop cultural round, Round 3: Ego, Shaq probably one that went too, so he was robbed as the new Unified Champ. But we learned that still undisputed reigning champ of the art world, Jeff Koons, though bloodied but unbeaten, still has a reputation of such length and girth as to cast an epic priapic shadow over the entire art world, yet he remains the extremely polite and thoughtful champion he has grown to be.

Opps, in the last paragraph I meant to say. “Round 3: Ego, Shaq probably won that one too,”

Opps, in the last paragraph I meant to say. “Round 3: Ego, Shaq probably won that one too,”