Art Criticism 6 Powerful Highlights From the Met’s Blockbuster Harlem Renaissance Show "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism" showcases a dazzling array of invention by figures familiar and obscure. By Ben Davis, Feb 27, 2024
Opinion The World’s Most Popular Painter Sent His Followers After Me Because He Didn’t Like a Review of His Work. Here’s What I Learned The reaction from Devon Rodriguez's followers shows why developing a critical analysis of "parasocial aesthetics" is important. By Ben Davis, Oct 19, 2023
Art Criticism TikTok Star Devon Rodriguez Is Now the Most Famous Artist in the World. But What About His Work? "Underground," Rodriguez's show at UTA Artist Space, is a chance to observe the rise of Influencer Art. By Ben Davis, Oct 6, 2023
Opinion The ‘Quasi-Theological’ Turn in Art Criticism Is a Mirage Leading Us the Wrong Way "Negative Reviews? Part 2," from a 2-part essay on contemporary art writing. By Ben Davis, Aug 30, 2023
Opinion Is Art Criticism Today Too Affirmative? That’s the Wrong Question to Be Asking "Negative Reviews? Part 1," from a 2-part essay on contemporary art writing. By Ben Davis, Aug 28, 2023
Art Criticism How the Many Dilemmas of Hannah Gadsby’s Anti-Picasso Show Feed Our Contemporary Cultural Doom Loop "It's Hannah-matic, Part 2," from a 2-part series on "It's Pablo-matic" at the Brooklyn Museum. By Ben Davis, Jun 22, 2023
Art Criticism The Brooklyn Museum’s Much-Criticized ‘It’s Pablo-matic’ Show Is Actually Weirdly at War With Itself Over Hannah Gadsby’s Art History "It's Hannah-matic," Part 1 of a 2-part series on "It's Pablo-matic" at the Brooklyn Museum. By Ben Davis, Jun 20, 2023
Opinion Why Andy Warhol’s ‘Prince’ Is Actually Bad, and the Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith Decision Is Actually Good We need to reboot the arguments we make about appropriation art. By Ben Davis, Jun 1, 2023
Opinion Is Crafting ‘Super Prompts’ for A.I. Generators the Art of the Future? Probably Not A.I. Clement Greenberg would like to have a word. By Ben Davis, Apr 27, 2023
Opinion How We Ended Up in the Era of ‘Quantitative Aesthetics,’ Where Data Points Dictate Taste The Humanities Crash and the McNamara Fallacy in culture. By Ben Davis, Mar 30, 2023
Art Criticism ‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’ Is a Truly Great Artist Documentary. Here’s What Makes It Work So Well The film, which explores the life of Nan Goldin, is directed by Laura Poitras. By Ben Davis, Mar 15, 2023
Art Criticism What on Earth Are We Supposed to Do With the Outrageous Art of CumWizard69420? Let me take you on a little tour of "The Americans" at Cheim & Read. By Ben Davis, Feb 28, 2023
Opinion What’s the Deal With That Essay About How the ‘Waffle House Brawl’ Is Like an Edward Hopper Painting? Here’s My Guess Viral culture is flattening everything into one incoherent mass. By Ben Davis, Feb 6, 2023
Opinion I Visited New York’s Immersive Klimt Spectacular With One of the World’s Preeminent Gustav Klimt Experts. Here’s What Happened Jane Kallir took "Gold in Motion," as the immersive experience is called, more seriously than I expected she might. By Ben Davis, Nov 29, 2022
Opinion There Has to Be a Better Way to Argue About the Climate-Activist Attacks on Art The strategy of "pushing cultural buttons" comes with a price. By Ben Davis, Nov 21, 2022