Work of Art: The Art Industry Makes It Through Season 1

After weeks of hilarious recaps and endless Tweeting, the Bravo network's Work of Art came to its conclusion last night amid an orgy of wine-sipping, cheese-munching and cell phone picture-snapping in the atrium of the Brooklyn Museum — where observers such as myself were treated to the totally surreal sight of watching TV cast members watch themselves on TV at the Brooklyn Museum while sitting inside the Brooklyn Museum. (It was, like, totally Twilight Zone.) 

The winner? Abdi Farah, a painter and sculptor from Pennsylvania who managed to maintain an inexplicable aura of positivity throughout the entire ordeal.

Now that the show is over, Farah is ready to open his one-man show at the museum this Saturday, where a selection of his works — including the sculptures from the season finale — will go on display through early October. The museum's decision to put on the show has not been without controversy. In June, the New York Times reported that a trustee had left the museum's board, citing the exhibit as a last straw. At the time, New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz, a judge on the show, also criticized the deal. And since then, a number of artists, bloggers and other industry aficionados have been critical of a public institution lending out its name and its gallery space for the purpose of a reality television show.

At least one person has since softened his stance. This morning, in his highly-readable weekly recap of the program, Saltz says that he's glad that the museum "risked giving one of these artists a chance." I'm inclined to agree with him. I wouldn't want to see something of this nature as a regular institutional feature (hype is fun in small doses, but can become saccharine in large quantities), but as a one-shot, why the heck not?

But, I'm going to be an art nerd and reserve my final opinion on this until after I've seen the exhibit, which opens this weekend. I'll be back here on Monday with some more focused thoughts.

In the meantime, I'd be curious to know what you thinks. Will you go? Do you care? Does it matter? Post a comment below!