Disruption At The DAM

I went to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) this past Thursday to see the new exhibits, one of which was Disruption, which features the contemporary art donated to the museum by Kent and Vicki Logan. I have seen many of these artworks displayed before, and I have always thought that the Logans should be subject to a conservatorship like the one Britney Spears was subject to for 13 years. When they wanted to purchase an artwork like the photo of that woman seen on the left, the conservator would just say no. However, when I read about them on the internet after touring the exhibit, I must say I was impressed. Kent Logan retired from his business in 1994, and he and his wife moved to Vail, Colorado, where they began collecting contemporary art. Kent donated 60 million dollars to the Denver Art Museum back in 2006, in addition to all the artworks he and his wife have donated to that institution over the years. Obviously, the Logans must know what they are doing. Although being rich does not necessarily mean having good taste.

But still - would you choose to put the painting seen on the right of the photograph on the right over your living room couch? Perhaps it would work as a house-warming gift for your inlaws, but other than that, forget it. Of course, I myself have a very red modernist painting of Mary Queen of Scots standing alongside her executioner, complete with axe and basket for the head, so there is no accounting for taste.

The photo in the photograph on the left I have seen a number of times. It shows a woman stuffing cash into her private parts, and during one Final Friday event at the DAM, a comedy team giving a "tour" of the artworks had lots of fun coming up with interpretations of its meaning.  Now if I had wanted to take that photograph, I would have had to hire a model, and after I got done explaining what I wanted to achieve, I would have been arrested and they would have thrown away the key. And if I was in jail, the Logans probably wouldn't have bought it. Reality sucks, doesn't it?