Art Review: The Guggenheim’s ‘Off the Record’ Exhibition Lacks Cohesion and Purpose

Off the Record is the new exhibition at the Guggenheim in New York. It doesn’t dare contend that fake news rules the airwaves and printing presses. That would confirm a central part of Trumpism. Surely the chatterati would cry “verboten,” as they’re trained to look the other way, as Labs know to catch the Frisbee and bring it back, no thinking asked. Rather, the show, at its best, is a subtle, unintended tip of the hat to said fake news. The show rejects the very concept of objectivity and neutrality in the documents we consider the essence of truth, and among these are newspapers and TV news, as well as officialdom’s records. The people we trust, it says, are cooking the narrative.

It is a collection of about 30 objects by 13 artists and beautifully arranged in airy, generous galleries by the Thannhauser collection of French Post-Impressionists. Glenn Ligon, Lorna Simpson, Adrian Piper, and Sarah Charlesworth are some of the artists. It isn’t the worst show I’ve seen by any means. It’s banal, but it’s keeping big and copious company these days. I enjoyed it inasmuch as I like many of the “something to think about” shows I’m seeing. These exhibitions make good but not original points. They skate over considerable territory, a flip here, a lutz there, but never a triple salchow — that’s too daring, too hard.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

Off the Record is the new exhibition at the Guggenheim in New York. It doesn’t dare contend that fake news rules the airwaves and printing presses. That would confirm a central part of Trumpism. Surely the chatterati would cry “verboten,” as they’re trained to look the other way, as Labs know to catch the Frisbee and bring it back, no thinking asked. Rather, the show, at its best, is a subtle, unintended tip of the hat to said fake news. The show rejects the very concept of objectivity and neutrality in the documents we consider the essence of truth, and among these are newspapers and TV news, as well as officialdom’s records. The people we trust, it says, are cooking the narrative.

It is a collection of about 30 objects by 13 artists and beautifully arranged in airy, generous galleries by the Thannhauser collection of French Post-Impressionists. Glenn Ligon, Lorna Simpson, Adrian Piper, and Sarah Charlesworth are some of the artists. It isn’t the worst show I’ve seen by any means. It’s banal, but it’s keeping big and copious company these days. I enjoyed it inasmuch as I like many of the “something to think about” shows I’m seeing. These exhibitions make good but not original points. They skate over considerable territory, a flip here, a lutz there, but never a triple salchow — that’s too daring, too hard.