Introducing The Art & Artists Report
A new contemporary art report based on a survey of 50+ art experts
Hello Everyone,
Happy New Year. I hope you are all doing OK in this complex time of so much suffering. This morning, I am thinking of the Los Angeles community trying to deal with the wildfires and their unprecedented destruction.
About a year ago, I paused Art & Artists to devote myself to a few long-term projects. (A quick reintroduction, since it’s been a while: I’m an art historian, curator, and writer, and my Substack, Art & Artists, shares and analyzes what I consider “the best” contemporary art content. Art & Artists has previously focused on subjects such as the influence of artificial intelligence and climate change on contemporary art; promising new contemporary art books and podcasts; the problems inherent in end-of-year “best art” lists; and what makes a great artist profile.)
Today, I am excited to restart Art and Artists with the launch of one of these long-term projects: The Art & Artists Report.
The Art & Artists Report is based on a detailed survey I conducted in late 2024 of over 50 global art experts, and it will be published here in seven installments over the next few months.
The Art & Artists Report provides new art enthusiasts and potential art patrons with a substantial, nuanced, and diverse introduction to the world of contemporary art. It functions as a series of curated recommendations from seasoned art industry professionals regarding which books to read, institutions to visit, artists to research, and much more. Think of the Report as a more advanced form of Contemporary Art 101, as taught by dozens of experts and synthesized by me.
The survey questions I asked these experts are below. The contemporary art world is crowded and ever-changing, and these queries focused on who and what will make a lasting impact:
Which 1-3 books (or publications) would you give as a gift to someone to help them better understand contemporary art? (These can be survey books, monographs, art theory, or other formats.)
Name 2-3 institutions (museums, galleries, non-profits) that are truly influencing the dialogue on modern and contemporary art now and will have a long-term impact.
Name 2-3 important topics of art content that are compulsory to know about in the contemporary art world right now and which you believe will be relevant in 5-10 years.
What are some of the most influential “tendencies” or groupings of artists that merit more attention and will have long-term resonance? Why?
If someone wanted to engage more deeply with modern and contemporary art, who are 4-5 artists they should know about who will have a lasting presence in 5-10 years? Why did you choose them?
What are 1-2 upcoming exhibitions or projects you are excited about and/or would like to share with a wider audience?
Who are 3-4 curators or art “leaders” working today who will have a lasting impact?
Each post of the Report will analyze the 50+ answers to one of these survey questions in the form of an accessible summary.
The 50+ experts surveyed are predominantly critically acclaimed, highly respected curators from around the world. The other respondents are (just as acclaimed and respected) collectors, museum directors, professors, leaders of non-profits, gallery directors, art advisors, and consultants. I’ve known a lot of the experts for many years, and they’ve been instrumental in my learning about the many facets of the contemporary art world. Most of them focus their attention globally and live around the world—though most are located in the U.S. and Europe. Since I promised to keep the experts’ identities anonymous to allow for greater honesty and transparency in their responses, I won’t share their names here.
I hope you find this Report to be as valuable and as educational as I have. I hope it will introduce you to new artists, ideas, people, and organizations and remind you to look deeper into our ever-evolving industry.
I am also very aware, as a historian and an educator, that no project is comprehensive and every project is subjective. For one, I am very sensitive to geographical coverage and would have loved to include even more international responses to this survey. At the same time, this is the first iteration of a project that I hope will grow in future years, and (as with my past two books, The Big Picture: Contemporary Art in 10 Works by 10 Artists and A Year in the Art World: An Insider’s View) I hope this project will be a generous and meaningful jumping-off point. Our industry can feel inaccessible, and throughout my work, I aim to bring others into this global ecosystem of creativity, passion, and material invention. Over the past twenty-four years, the art world has offered me a sense of community and a new understanding of the visual world, and I am always looking for new ways to introduce others.
As a final note, while I initially thought of charging for this report, I have decided to offer it for free, as it felt in keeping with the nature of the content. At the same time, this means this project is self-supported. So, if you enjoy these posts and would like to help this project happen again next year (or see further art research projects published here), please consider a paid subscription to this newsletter or becoming a Founding Member.
Again, Happy New Year, thanks so much for your patience with my extended pause—and more soon.
Best,
Matthew
Interesting. Looking forward to the report!