Things Artists do That Annoy Me: What’s in a Name?

Things Artists do That Annoy Me: What’s in a Name?

Having been an art writer for half a decade I must say that I’ve seen a lot as far observing how visual artists promote themselves. Sometimes the choices that artists make in striving for exposure are downright annoying. I’m not talking about blinged out websites or ‘rate my art’ bombardments-- no, I’m referring to things far more sinister. Specifically, ways that artists present themselves in order to stroke their own ego-- or to lure novice art collectors into buying their artwork due to reasons that at heart are very trivial.

The main issue I would like to tackle with this writing is the fact that some artists use the fame of their relatives in order to try and secure their own mark in the art world. For example, I know of one artist who is quick to state on her bio that she is directly related to Georgia O’Keeffe. While it is perfectly acceptable to be proud of ones heritage I don’t think it is admirable to family namedrop simply to promote ones own artwork-- which is obviously what this artist is doing. After all, it is one of the first things she mentions when writing about herself or her art. Not to mention that she spelled Georgia’s name wrong!