BOOK OF THE DAY:Robert O'Byrne reviews Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton
'A CLASSIC," said Ezra Pound, "is news that stays news." Or, as American academic and curator Robert Storr informs Sarah Thornton, great art declares of itself, "I am in the present tense despite the fact that I was made five or 50 years ago."
However, like all things new, as far as contemporary art is concerned, it can be hard to discern what is simply representative of the here and now and what will still be "in the present tense" half a century hence.
Any effort to resolve that conundrum is not helped by observations such as those made by London art dealer Nicholas Logsdail: "The nowness of now, which is quite obsessive, is actually a reflection of the consumerism that you see in the whole culture . . . It can be a lot of fun if it is to your taste."
His remarks will only confirm what many non-participants already suspect: that the contemporary art world is replete with charlatanism and self- interest and that the majority of its practitioners are undeserving of the title artist.
But this simplistic perspective fails to take account of the fact that art today is as complex and multifaceted as the environment in which it has been created. Expecting all artists to continue applying paint to canvas would be like asking modern writers to do their task with ink and quill.
Certainly Thornton amply demonstrates that today's art world is insular and solipsistic and gives refuge to far too many posturing narcissists who disguise the paucity of their material behind a veil of seemingly dense but actually meaningless verbiage.
On the other hand, the same world also contains many practitioners who understand that art offers an opportunity to comment in a profound yet oblique manner on societal change and upheaval.
Separating one group from the other can be challenging, not least because, as Artforumcontributing editor Thomas Crow tells Thornton, "many of the artists who are ruling the roost at the moment - Jeff Koons, Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin - exploit constructed personae. Cults of personality are realities, people are attracted to that."
Furthermore, the abiding uncertainty over what will prove artistically resilient leaves anyone venturing into this area ripe for exploitation. Jeff Poe, an American dealer, unwittingly betrays himself with the declaration: "The art world isn't about power but control. Power can be vulgar. Control is smarter, more pinpointed. It starts with the artists . . . but they need an honest dialogue with a conspirator."
An honest dialogue seems to elude Thornton throughout her exploration of the contemporary art world. Though titled Seven Days in the Art World, it might more accurately be considered seven scenes (or perhaps seven hellish circles) beginning with a Christie's auction in New York and concluding with the Venice Biennale. In between, she attends, among others, the Turner Prize ceremony, Basel Art Fair and studio of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
The result is a series of vignettes that can only offer a partial insight into this strange and self-admiring club whose members believe themselves to be far more significant than is actually the case.
Thornton wisely avoids ridicule, which must be a dangerously seductive option, but sadly she also evades making any judgments at all.
Furthermore, although at the start of the book she considers several reasons why contemporary art should recently have become a subject of interest to so many people, she does not explore this question further or reach any conclusions.
While loftily calling herself an ethnographist, her methodology turns out to be no different from that of the average news reporter, while her prose style is the journalese of an average Vanity Fair feature with far too much attention paid to interviewees' clothing and who ate what at which restaurant.
Overcome a sense of irritation with these tiresome tics and you'll learn a lot about the state of contemporary art. Conclusions, however, you'll have to draw for yourself.
Seven Days in the Art WorldBy Sarah Thornton Granta 274pp, £15.99
• Robert O'Byrne is a writer and journalist. His most recent book, The Irish Georgian Society: A Celebration, has just been published
