Philip Peters
Art criticism is fading slowly into the fringes, also in quality publications. The media simply no longer has the money or the interest. It often happens that only four hundred words may be dedicated to a review of an exhibition! This leaves little room for explaining the art based on theoretical backgrounds or providing well-founded arguments for opinions. As a result, we are left WITH superficial descriptions or critics simply get on their usual dogmatic hobbyhorse. There is no longer any room for depth or vision, merely for generalities. And that is a true shame, as it dulls the complexity and richness of art. A good art critic offers both an analysis and an opinion. The most important task, after all, is to provide insight and background. And the critic needs to guide the reader, as it were, along the thoughts that lead to his final opinion. The ideal review is informative and provoking for laypersons and art connoisseurs alike. It goes without saying that a good style, exciting language and accessibility are essential to this. That is why we plan to invite an art critic each year to discuss all of our gallery exhibitions, the first of whom will be Philip Peters.
Philip Peters (1948) is an art historian from The Hague who has written reviews for NRC/Handelsblad, Het Vaderland, De Tijd and other publications and writes articles in various international catalogues and magazines. He was the editor-in-chief of Museumjournal from 1989-1997 and artistic manager of the Hague Centre for Contemporary Art (HCAK) from 1980-1996, which he also co-founded. Currently, he devotes most of his time to writing, teaching at the DNA postgraduate studios at the Vrije Academie of The Hague, and serving as a mental coach for artists. His work can also be found online at www.philippetersessays.blogspot.com.
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