Jerry Gogosian at Sotheby’s: The Sale of a Lifetime

Hilde Lynn Helphenstein aka Jerry Gogosian, image courtesy of Sotheby's, NY.

 

By RAINA MEHLER, October 2022

As I walk into Sotheby's to see “Suggested Followers: How the Algorithm Is Always Right”, organized by a social media persona, the energy of the crowd is palpable. Curated by “Jerry Gogosian” aka @jerrygogosian, an unabashed, art world satirist whose Instagram memes roast every player in the game - gallerists, artists, collectors, and their coterie - the exhibition just may be the “sale of a lifetime” as she claims on her Instagram. Under a pseudonym, Jerry derides the art world for elitism, nepotism, and disingenuity. The name combines two major figures in the art world: the art critic Jerry Saltz and the blue-chip gallery founder Larry Gagosian. Her real name is Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, a former gallerist who is an omnipresent art insider invited to every art fair, exhibition, dinner, and event as a VIP, posting all that she sees. Her following on Instagram ranges from key art world personalities to the new vanguard of the industry.

David "Mr. StarCity" White, Sunshine and Cloudy Days, 2022. Acrylic and charcoal on canvas. Images courtesy of Sotheby's
 

The title of the show implies that Instagram’s algorithm presciently suggested the most coveted artists on her Explore Page, the Reels feed, and hashtag pages. At first, I wonder if she even liked the artworks on view, given the exhibition title and the promotional videos. The disruption of the art world on their own turf is audacious. The curated “Buy Now” sale with set prices features artists that she follows, suggested followers, and friends of friends. In Jerry’s Instagram story, she explains how Olive Allen, an artist and digital art pioneer, enlightened her perspective by pointing out how AI was feeding Jerry what she already liked and what she said aloud. Artworks she “liked” from artists would appear more often in her feed, as well as other suggested posts with artworks that have a similar style or subject. The title suggests the passive role of the curator, relinquishing control to the computer.

Henry Gunderson, Neurochamber, 2019. Acrylic on canvas. Images courtesy of Sotheby's
 

This show features 20 artists, some of whom are well-known, and others are emerging, working across all mediums like paintings, sculpture, photography, and video. They vary in price from two thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand. Some of the works have a blatant sociopolitical critique, while others are more subtle. A common theme is they all feel of this time, conveying mundane aspects of contemporary life from the digital and physical worlds and playing with themes of identity, sexuality, and memory. The vibe is reminiscent of the 19th-century French painters of everyday life or Robert Frank’s snapshots of modern life – except these emulate screenshots from websites.

Ho Jae Kim, Waiting Room, 2022. Oil, inkjet transfer, and enamel on canvas. Images courtesy of Sotheby's
 

Some of the artworks are figurative and depict the body: a common art history trope. Richard Partida’s Dream Hopper depicts a man in a provocative pose with bold colors. Alyssa Klauer’s Window Drawing (Lifetime) features silhouettes of females by a window with a dark, limited color palette, invoking a sense of tension. Gigi Rose Grey’s works portray the psychological moments of strangers, reminding me of Alex Katz and Edward Hopper. A personal favorite was Waiting Room by Ho Jae Kim. The composition is of a woman curled up under a table with flowers in the foreground and water in the background. Painted mainly using yellow and blues, it has an ethereal, dreamlike quality. There is also a small green and pink painting of women in nature by Emily Marie Miller Cone - perhaps a nod to Manet’s Luncheon de l’herb. David "Mr. StarCity" White‘s work Sunshine and Cloudy Days depicts a head in a cubist-like manner.  

Other artworks have pop culture references or refer to celebrity culture. Joshua Citarella’s painting is of a still life of contemporary objects like a smart speaker plugged into a USB outlet and wellness products. Henry Gunderson’s Neurochamber deftly paints the inside of a computer. A heavily painted and textured work by Max Rippon depicts the headlines of newspapers. The most expensive work in the show was by Marc Quinn titled HISTORYNOW. Kim at the Met Ball, depicting an abstract version of a screenshot of Kim Kardashian when she wore the face-covering, all-black Balenciaga outfit. 

Marc Quinn, HISTORYNOW. Kim at Met Ball, 2022. Oil and pigment print on canvas. Images courtesy of Sotheby's
 

The crowd in attendance at the opening reception is dressed fashionably, and Jerry is wearing Julia Roberts’ iconic outfit from her role as a sex worker in Pretty Woman - a choice of attire that further separates her from the conventional wardrobe that is more common at an established auction house. It also questions: what or who is for sale? In the age of influencer culture, people constantly post pictures of themselves in designer outfits, posing at exclusive events, beautiful places, and exotic landscapes. It creates an effect where we are always coveting the life of someone we barely know, and the algorithm probably suggested that we follow them. The algorithm permeates all aspects of our life from targeted news articles, ads for clothing and lifestyle, and even our dating apps. We document our lives on social media, though in some ways it’s the illusion of ourselves that we want to present to the world. Jerry questions if the algorithm is God or the Devil– it undeniably is both. 

Opening night, images courtesy of Sotheby's

Opening night, images courtesy of Sotheby's, NY
 

The irony in the concept of the show and the satirical avatar who curated it evades the exhibition's content – the works are skillfully executed and convey wit and invoke emotion. As someone entrenched in the artworld, I literally laugh out loud and cringe at Jerry’s posts, as some hit too close to home: the ego flex, the squandering of money, the schmoozing and feigning. The show portrays contemporary life's beautiful and painful aspects, serving as an unapologetic critique with subtle insight. In the age of unprecedented climate disasters, the first walking robot with Tesla computation, civil unrest and polarization, and the exploration of the metaverse, the show is representative of the people and the places of society today where the digital and physical worlds are inextricably linked. The poignant selection of artworks in this intergenerational show exemplifies the ethos of our time. Despite the world's chaos, hypocrisy, and disillusionment, it offered a much-welcomed reprieve, and it's shows like these where I am reminded why I’m in the art world in the first place. WM