I certainly have never said that the gates debacle is not "art." Art is in the eye of the beholder, without a doubt. The "artists" who created the gates have been around for a long time -- if the masses deem their "creations" to be art, so be it.

In my opinion - take it or leave it - the gates is bad art, and a wasteful embarrassment to the great city of New York.

If my comments seem vitriolic, compare them to the outsized $21 million monstrosity insulting the natural beauty of Central Park.

And relax; it's an internet forum. Who cares?

I have asked you twice, and now, I will ask a third time. Please, Gekko, what do you rate as good art? What contemporary art do you find challenging and intriguing? I ask because you seem so very learned about art, and I would welcome your opinion -- what galleries or museums should I visit this weekend to see art that you deem good. Thanks

As I've said before it isn't so much a matter of whether Gekko thinks it's bad art or good. The real problem is that he announced to us all before he ever even saw it that the whole thing was a disaster. That's called approaching something with a closed mind.

In addition to NYC's many incredible museums, Saturday gallery tours are a great way to see "up and coming" artists. I suggest:

http://www.nygallerytours.com/schedule.htm

Tours generally visit 6-10 galleries, and always feature a variety of styles and media (painting, sculpture, mixed media, installations).

And if you try it once, you'll receive a $5 discount coupon for a 2nd tour!

Finally, best of all, on the many tours I've enjoyed, I've never been subjected to something as ridiculous as 'the gates.'

Gekko, have you visited Dia Beacon. What do you think of Richard Serra's metal sculptures or Dan Flavin's flourescent tube sculptures. Or Robert Ryman's white paintings. Or check out De Maria. The Gates is much more interesting than almost anything in Dia, which, to me, was unbearable.

http://www.diabeacon.org/exhibs/bindex.html

This is what's passing for cutting edge contemporary art, and in my opinion, most of it is just plain silly. I didn't get the same reaction to the Gates, which as I've said, I found overwhelming (as much for the story as the installation).

thit_cho,

Why do you keep challenging gekko to a duel of the arts? The guy may be heavy handed and relentless with his dislike of the gates but SO WHAT? If he contributes to the arts community that makes him a good guy and he doesn't have to take your ridiculous litmus test to have a legit opinion.

You don't want to be misunderstood? Don't suggest only herd visit Monet exhibits and expect people not to feel condescended to.

Non mainstream artists and who will endure? That's a debate for the professional arts community. Keep it off a travel forum please, especially since you're using your alledged knowledge of contemporary arts as tool for bashing another poster.

And, by the way: Dan Flavin?? Gawd. Awful.

I hate to say this NY, but ya been hoodwinked. Look up hoodwink in dictionary.com, thesaurus. ALL this applies. Especially after I seen the first outdoor "art" these con-artists created! I am so sorry.

8JT8TER, we know, we know.

And, as a New Yorker, I'm sorry.

You say "hoodwinked." I've heard "laughingstock."

That, I'm afraid, about sums it up.

David letterman mentioned the Gates in his opening monologue and everyone applauded loudly. I guess they didn't get the memo about how awful it is.

"That, I'm afraid, about sums it up."

Is that a promise???

Look guys, I know your feelings are hurt. NYC is such a proud city and to see the responses to this mess its obvious. I feel for you. All you got to do is see that mess they first created with the barrels and tarp.

There's nothing proud in these posts by the whiners.

After someone is taken advantage of and that person steps forward and makes a voice, that aint whining, T girl.

Maybe it's time for Fodor's to close off this thread. It's getting redudant and perhaps a bit too personal.
And besides, those of us who have found pleasure in The Gates experience won't find our memories of it tarnished because of the comments by the naysayers. And, conversely, I am sure the critics of the project won't be swayed by any amount of contrary comments.
It'll be gone in 10 days. Some of us will have fond memories (and great photographs). Others will breath a big sigh of relief.
.....And life will go on!

For the record, Letterman spent a good deal of last night's show making fun of both 'the gates' and the "ugly wrinkled" artists (he even showed a picture of them to get some laughs).

Letterman especially enjoyed joking about the alleged color -- 'saffron' -- he said it reminded him of a construction zone.

And check out the letters to the editor in the Post this morning -- scathing!

How many more days until this embarrassing eyesore disappears?

BTW Gekko, are you coming to the NJ/NY Fodorite GTG?

In 1980 after several attempts to get this done it was denied by parks and recreation commish. I wonder what persuaded them after 25 years to hang out these sheets? After looking at all their works I can honestly say if they call this art then any schmo can be an artist.

At the urging of a friend, I read all the way through this long thread, which is indeed interesting. If I happened to be visiting NYC from my home base in Texas, I would see it. I would not fly in specially to do it, however.

When Christo wrapped the Reichstag some years back, I marvelled and thought it silly. I am now more relaxed and more into public and performance art than I was then. Heck, I used to hate Shakespeare done in modern dress, so I've come a long way.

For those of you who missed this URL, I am posting it again:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/arts/13kimmelman.html

NYC is lucky to have two diverse daily newspapers, the Times and the Post. Kimmelman does a beautiful job of appreciating The Gates.

My DC-based son, an architect, has a trip planned to NYC this weekend and is pleased at the serendipity of getting to see The Gates.

Life is too short and stressful to be grumpy. The Gates are there for two short weeks and I salute those who have found fun and joy and comeraderie in them. Happiness is fleeting...like The Gates.

The two funniest comments on this thread, IMHO, were:

1) bugswife when she said she could endure anything in NYC for two weeks, with the exception of the Republican Convention. <grin>

and

2) The wit who suggested that the next Christo project would be to wrap Gekko's apartment. <even bigger, cheerful grin>

I was an art history major 1000 yrs. ago and took it pretty seriously; but then I graduated and had to learn other skills to get through life. Now the art history background serves mainly to give me confidence about what I do and don't respond to in art. I can appreciate some things, but I may well like other things more.

I can appreciate what Christo tries to do, and I liked the umbrellas and the sheets that went into the Pacific. But some of the other things don't twang those aesthetic strings inside. And some are so outrageously costly that you have to ask if it was worth it, especially since the only things that will endure past our lives are his sketches. Thing is, the sketches aren't the art -- they're the plans for the art, which is what the structures do to the environment, what you walk through/around.

But I'll say -- having been duly authorized by my bachelor's in art -- that I thought they should have been a different color.

So there.

I would like to try to explain what it was about The Gates that completely turned me off.
It was described as ribbons of color endless flowing through the park. Harmonizing with nature and creating a 'streamlike' effect. In fact, the whole thing was just a bunch of clunky hurdles. The saffron was orange. Light shining through orange is different than light shining through saffron. The sheets were industrial, heavy looking squares. They didn't have ripples and flows, nor did they overlap and to create a 'streamlike' effect. The end result was a contrast to nature, not 'at one' with nature and that is why I truly could not stand looking at it. To me, it was an intrusion into the harmony that I call Central Park. HOWEVER, if you enjoy that sort of thing, I think it is wonderful. Live and let live. I am just happy it isn't permanent.