Work of Art is a reality television series about fourteen aspiring artists competing for a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum and a big cash prize. Considering that it comes from the network behind “reality shows” about yuppie, soulless housewives and tired reality chef competitions with feuding chefs, I didn’t expect much from this new series. The funny thing is that Work of Art is good TV, scratch that, great TV. A fast-paced reality-based competition that takes the viewers inside the art world and gives us a peek behind the curtain. Yes it is still reality TV, so we get the typical backstabbing and sneering villainy but Work of Art is notable for how talented the contestants are and for how little backstabbing there actually is. The show closely mirrors Project Runway, but the fact that it’s about art keeps it fresh as well. The snobby and elitist “art world” reportedly hates the show (see salon.com for the story), so that’s another reason to watch. They don’t think middle America can “get” art and that reality TV is beneath them. I think its time for the hipsters to grow up. Jealousy and vanity are two idiotic traits that plague the art world and keep people at arms length.
The bland, attractive China Chow hosts the series while renowned art auctioneer Simon de Pury plays mentor to the aspiring artists. Despite his smarmy french accent, Simon makes for an honest and interesting mentor. He never babies the artists but there isn’t a nasty bone in his body. Art critic Jerry Saltz is another asset to the series. His critiques are spot on and easy to understand, even when the so called work of arts don’t really work for me at all. The fan favorite seems to be the photogenic ADD-plagued Miles. He is clearly talented to his tics and passive aggressive ways keep me from rooting for the Abercrombie-looking kid. My favorite contestant is Abdi, a soft-spoken 22 year old from my area who does some amazing sculptures. His best piece was made from trash, he made a sculpture and used a television set as the head with his weird figure holding a gamecube controller, the controlled attached to the creature as a sort of umbilical cord. It was fascinating stuff. One of the best challenges was when the artists got to design a book cover for a classic novel, the winner of the challenge had his work published and is now on the cover of the new edition of the classic novel The Time Machine.
Work of Art airs every Wednesday night at 10pm on Bravo. It’s not to be missed. The best reality show on TV with the most interesting contestants and the best mix of drama and actual reality. The art world can go to Hell. This show is the real deal and it gets better each week.
Grade: A-
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