New York - still the center of the art world?

In the late 20th century, American culture dominated the world. In Art, the mandate was more specific – New York was the center of everything aesthetic. From the time of the Abstract Expressionists through the debacle of September 11th, the galleries of the city were filled with excitement, innovation and art of a different level.

I wonder if that is still the way it is? Although the Columbia University MFA scene is the hottest program in the country and guarantees gallery placement as did the Yale MFA's of Chuck Close and Richard Serra, it is clear that the Manhattan art scene has become complacent, dependent upon what was. Visit the renovated MOMA (which now resembles nothing more than a suburban mall Macy's) - it is strangely subdued. Picasso's "Woman in a Mirror" is just one of the many artworks that have been hanging since I was a child. I'm not the only one comparing the new NY MOMA to the Tate Modern and finding the Tate way ahead in the museum ratings game. And it's not just MOMA. The Whitney recycles Hopper, Soho has become a shopping mall and Chelsea galleries are hit or miss. Sure, there's beautiful art all over Manhattan, but I was fortunate enough to visit the Venice Biennale in 2006 and there I saw work that screamed for attention, mesmerized the viewer, and made me want to join the Guerilla girls art group. I The result is that as a NY area resident, if I want to see something exciting and cutting edge, something 21st Century, I’ve realized that it may not be hanging on a wall in Manhattan. It may be in the Visionary Arts Museum of Baltimore, or the mad variety of Art Basel. It may be in Miami, or at the Singapore bienniale, in Berlin, Washington D.C. or L.A. It just may not be in New York.