Author Archives: trueoutsider

About trueoutsider

I'm an artist.

Fine Art Swindle 2

Posted on May 21, 2013

The  New York Times has printed a second piece on the underlying financial fraud that props up the current art market. And this following an auction that just broke all sales records. Typically, as bubbles enter their final phase before imploding increasingly … Continue reading →

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The Fine Art Swindle

Posted on May 13, 2013

Basquiat, Hannibal I recently wrote that high art at this point in history has become little more than a traded commodity in a global financial casino. This article in today’s Times explores it a bit. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/arts/design/art-proves-attractive-refuge-for-money-launderers.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&hpw=&adxnnlx=1368446450-KadO6eDpyYX5brY3OmyBnQ “Law enforcement officials in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and Money, Postmodernism | Leave a comment

The Pseudo-Mysticism of Matthew Barney

Posted on May 11, 2013

“As the nation declines in power and wealth, a universal pessimism gradually pervades the people, and itself hastens the decline.” – Sir John Glubb, The Fate of Empires Extra on the set of True Blood? No. Great artistic genius Matthew … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and Money, Postmodernism | Leave a comment

Austin Osman Spare

Posted on May 9, 2013

I’m not going to comment on Austin Osman Spare’s mystical and magical beliefs, since I don’t know enough about them at this point. Apparently AOS began doing automatic drawings early in the 20th century some time before the Surrealists began … Continue reading →

Posted in Surrealism | 4 Comments

Keiichi Tanaami — Japanese Psychedelia

What’s not to like?

Image | Posted on May 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

Winter in America

Posted on February 2, 2013
Posted in Music | 2 Comments

John Virtue

Posted on January 15, 2013

“Drawing is the compost from which painting develops.” –John Virtue John Virtue, Study from the roof of the Somerset House looking East, 2003/04 The drawing above was done as preparation for a series of monumental paintings of the London skyline … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th century British painters | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

2012 True Outsider Man of the Year Award

Posted on January 2, 2013

“No amount of prayer or meditation can do what helping others can do.” –Meher Baba Now that we’ve come to the end of 2012, it’s once again time for True Outsider to look back over the last year and choose our … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit | Leave a comment

Saint Anthony the Hermit

Posted on December 31, 2012

Matthias Grünewald, St. Anthony Meeting Paul the Hermit in the Desert, 1512-1516 When I was a very young man, head filled with the teachings of the Catholic Church, the saint that most fascinated me was Saint Anthony the Hermit. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantastic Realists, Surrealism | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Et tu, Michael Kimmelman?

Posted on December 24, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/arts/design/amsterdams-new-stedelijk-museum.html?hpw WTF (What the fuck for those unfamiliar with Twitter abbrevs)  is going on here? First I read Patricia Cohen (of the venerable NY Times Art Section) telling us that Sarah Thornton, Felix Salmon, Will Gompertz and Dave Hickey (whoever half … Continue reading →

Posted in Postmodernism | 6 Comments