Andy Warhol once said “Why do people think artists are special? It’s just another job.” Then he became one of the most iconic figures in the history of pop-culture. Go figure! Influential art tome ArtReview have just published their list of the top 100 dancers who’ve spent the past 12 months gyrating around contemporary art’s greasy pole of power. This inventory of proverbial pole dancers is not necessarily judged according to quantity of artistic output or ranked by talent, it’s about who’s creating trends, influencing people and dictating the networks and forces that shape the insular vortex that is the art world.
The list comprises gallerists, collectors, curators and a few artists. Here’s a look at the top ten – artists take note.
1. Larry Gagosian
Category: Gallerist
Nationality: American
2. Hans Ulrich Obrist
Category: Curator (London’s Serpentine Gallery)
Nationality: Swiss
3. Iwan Wirth
Category: Gallerist (owner of international spread of galleries under the Hauser & Wirth mantle)
Nationality: Swiss
4. David Zwirner
Category: Gallerist (owner of four renowned gallery spaces in New York)
Nationality: German
5. Glenn D. Lowry
Category: Museum Director (MoMA, New York City)
Nationality: American
6. Bice Curiger
Category: Curator (this year she was named curator of the 2011 Venice Biennale)
Nationality: Swiss
7. Sir Nicholas Serota
Category: Museum Director (Tate Modern, London)
Nationality: British
8. Eli Broad
Category: Collector (most influential figure in the booming L.A. art scene, owns art collection worth over $1billion)
Nationality: American
9. RoseLee Goldberg
Category: Curator (founder of high impact non-profit art organisation Performa in New York)
Nationality: South African
10. François Pinault
Category: Collector (famously well rounded contemporary art collection worth mad bank)
Nationality: French
Artists that made the list include Jeff Koons, Marina Abramovic, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, Cindy Sherman and Anish Kapoor.
Check out the full ArtReview Power 100.
