April 30, 2005
Does gender determine value?
Greg Allen asks an important question on the front page of today's Times Arts & Leisure section: Why do works by female artists sell for less money than works by male artists? He elaborates a bit on his methodology and a part of the story that didn't make the paper in this post on his website. Quite obviously an answer to this question cannot be found in a 2,300 word essay, but I hope that it sparks debate.
I am somewhat self-conscious about gender disparity in my critical practice. For example, I know that the four reviews I have written to date for Artforum are all of solo exhibitions by male artists. At the same time, the last two feature articles I have written (one for Flash Art, one for Afterall) have featured three female artists. But a quick glance at the "review" section of my website indicates I may not be doing as good a job as I would like. Discounting group shows and shows by artists who work collaboratively, I counted forty-one reviews of male artists and only thirteen reviews of female artists. In the "essay" and "feature" category, excluding the entries I wrote for the 2004 Whitney Biennial exhibition catalog (which were more or less assigned to me), the disparity isn't quite as large: seven male artists, seven female artists, and one male-female artist duo.
This is a topic very much worth pondering, and Greg's article is as good a starting point as any.