Most Art Sucks: Coagula Art Journal and the Art of the 1990's [Paperback]

Walter Robinson (Author), Mat Gleason (Author), Tom Patenett (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Los Angeles-based 'zine Coagula has made its mark by publishing the kind of rumor and invective that art scenesters trade in smokey bars after a night of gallery hopping?but not the kind of thing any serious magazine would publish in the light of day. As such, it has an obvious appeal for struggling artists who feel that the system has snubbed them, and it is perused by gallerists who turn the pages hoping their names don't appear. This quinquennial collection brings together such predictable pieces as the "25 most obnoxious people in the art world" and a parodic summary of gallery owner Larry Gagosian's career. But those who know the rag only by reputation may be surprised to find one of the most balanced considerations of Ron Athey's performance art and a blistering attack on 60 Minutes's cheap shot at contemporary art. Maybe the editors don't simply hate art after all, just its attendant hype and hoopla. This is far from the final word on the art world in the 1990s, but it does present a point of view that gets little airing elsewhere. Recommended for academic and special libraries supporting art programs.?Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Smart Art Press (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889195162
• ISBN-13: 978-1889195162
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't take it too seriously..., November 22, 2003

By 

"idioteqnician" (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Most Art Sucks: Coagula Art Journal and the Art of the 1990's (Paperback)

This book is somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars, but I bet people will rate it quite differently. Coagula magazine is pretty much Matt Gleason and Charlie "Janet Preston" Finch bitching about the capitalist motives behind the contemporary art world. The emphasis here is on the art WORLD, not really the art. I think if you boiled all their ranting down to one argument it would be something like, "The contemporary art world suffers from compromised objectives and financial self-interest due to art world particpants performing dual duties such as the collector-curator, critic-collector, etc."

This book's strong points:
- The articles are short so if you don't like what you're reading, just move along
- Nasty name calling can be funny
- Every so often they make a very good point

This book's weak points:
- "L.A., Christopher Knight, L.A., Christopher Knight, L.A., Christopher Knight, L.A., Christopher Knight, L.A., Christopher Knight, L.A., Christopher Knight..." SHUT UP ALREADY!!
- They seem to have rejected theory whole-hog and it brings to mind that baby / bath water saying
- Too much boo-hoo whining, not enough alternative suggestions or action
- Doesn't age well. The articles might be interesting when they're published, but who cares why Bobby-Jo's performance art was too corporate for your liking in 1994?
- They blow their whole "Look, Ma! I'm punk!" act on page 169 when they outright reject the Art Watcher's brilliant suggestions for making art more democratic - that was lame

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory reading to navigate the '90s art world, December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Most Art Sucks: Coagula Art Journal and the Art of the 1990's (Paperback)

This book, a "best of" of a magazine called Coagula, is one of those things that tells the horrible, horrible truth in such a funny way that it makes the sad facts of life in the artworld tolerable. The best thing about this book is that it is fearless to expose the art world powerful as the rude snobs they probably are. If you want to know about the inner workings of the art world and the gallery system and the museums, this is the book. If you want a record of the art world in the 1990s, this was written while it was happening, like an eyewitness to train wreck. The title might imply that it is a sarcastic attack on the excesses of art, but it actually is pro-artist and against the powerful art dealers who ruin careers at a whim and only care about money and prestige. If you read Tom Wolfe's Painted Word, this is like a retort, defending the freedom of artists but acknowledging the faults of the system. The art criticism is actually comprehensible and not interested with trying to seem "intelligent" The Coagula Magazine has its roots in the L.A. Punk Scene and it is like a punk "zine" (magazine) for the art world, not afraid to step on toes.

Jennifer Wallace Struggling Artist

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Art Sucks; Five Years of Coagula, November 2, 2009

By 

Craig Cheply - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Most Art Sucks: Coagula Art Journal and the Art of the 1990's (Paperback)

As a professional artist I am always studying the art world with it's reknowned and supposedly educated curators, critics and artists. Charlie Finch (ArtNet News) is one of the top critical eyes out there in the trenches. Finally got around to ordering the book "Most Art Sucks; Five Years of Coagula" and thoroughly enjoyed reading the written observations of the blatant nepotism and cronyism in that field that should come as no surprise to anyone who works in that field. Very insightful and worth the small price. Was very happy with the vendor (mayasmarket) that delivered the book in the described condition in a prompt manner. -Craig Cheply [...].