Today more than at any other time in history the art
world is dominated by the personality cult. Personality, or charisma, seems to
be of greater importance to the general public than the actual work produced by
any given artist. This appears to be true right across the art spectrum –
actors, musicians, writers, and visual artists are all vying for more attention
in the media, and the stronger their personality cult the more the more time they are given in the
spotlight. Of course the internet is greatly responsible for spawning this phenomenon,
but it was on the rise throughout the 20th century. A major shift occurred
in the 1960s, sparked perhaps by the Beatles, and gaining momentum steadily
from then. And today many leading museums, in an effort to capitalize on this,
are changing their emphasis from art to artifacts of the artist in an effort to
bring in more people.
