
Photo by James Westcott
J. J. Charlesworth, an editor at "Art Review"
LONDON—With all the talk about power in the art world, it was inevitable that
someone would get around to poking fun at the concept. The
Rebel
magazine in London is taking a shot with its list of the “50 Least
Important” art world figures, a heavily British roster that includes
the
Hayward Gallery (no. 29), artist
Gavin Turk (no. 48) and
Royal Academy head
Norman Rosenthal (no. 32). “It’s a satirical idea of the power list and completely arbitrary,” says a
Rebel editor,
Jasper Joffe, of
Sartorial gallery
in London, which publishes the quarterly. “It questions what importance
means.” Even so, the burning question remains: Who occupies the
Rebel’s top—or is it bottom—spot? The answer is
J. J. Charlesworth, an editor at
Art Review.
The bemused critic responded to the news with undiminished wit: “I’m
very happy to share the list with such complete unknowns as
Liam Gillick and
Darren Almond. I’m glad that I’m apparently more less important than they are. And what is this
Rebel magazine anyway? I’ve never heard of it.”
"The 50 Least Powerful" originally appeared in the February 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's February 2008 Table of Contents.