Welcome to The Art Daddy x CULTURED, an interview series developed with the beloved Instagram account @theartdaddy_that spotlights the daddies of the art world. What separates an art daddy from the rest of us? Read on to find out.
About seven years ago at Frieze New York, I snapped my first undercover photo of a daddy. What I did not realize then was that this spontaneous iPhone shot represented the start of something much bigger.
As an art journalist, I've been trained to document my experience of the world through the art I see. But part of what makes the art world interesting is the apparatus that has sprung up around the art—it’s a cult of personality that makes the whole thing run. While some people capture this element of the art world through fashion blogs or social media accounts, I’ve done it through 9,000 candid images. A lot has happened from 2018 to now, and what some might call an obsession, I see as a passion project.
The “daddy” concept has risen to the top of popular culture in recent years. From the 2016 Ty Dolla $ign “Zaddy” to the unforgettable SNL skit, “The Westminster Daddy show” (a dog show for daddies featuring Kate McKinnon and Matt Damon), this hotly contested concept has been parodied and analyzed from multiple perspectives (Esquire even produced this handy guide). The SNL skit defined a daddy as “George Clooney but achievable.” As they put it, “any man can be a father, but it takes a hot middle-aged guy with a big job to be a daddy.”
But what makes an art daddy? There are many layers. While the term has historically referred only to men, to me, an art daddy is an inclusive category. Daddies tend to have a big art job and are contributing meaningfully to the art world. They also have an X factor—a certain kind of daddy star quality, if you will. Of course, it doesn't hurt to be attractive, either.
This rubric has served as the basis of my Instagram account @theartdaddy_, which, for over a year, has lovingly chronicled the daddies of the art world via a weekly Zagat-style rating. Now, I am collaborating with CULTURED on an interview series, riffing on my ongoing “Seven Questions with the Art Daddy,” to further investigate the various dimensions of daddiness.
Our inaugural Art Daddy x CULTURED questionnaire subject is Anton Kern. The founder of the eponymous gallery meets the SNL definition of daddy (a hot middle-aged man with a big job). But to me, he is so much more. He has been involved in the art world his entire professional life. In addition to being an art daddy, he has a (literal) art daddy: His father is the world-renowned German painter Georg Baselitz.
Kern cut his teeth at storied art institutions like MoMA and Barbara Gladstone gallery before striking out on his own. Today, Kern operates out of his 55th Street HQ and maintains a storefront viewing space in Tribeca. Over the years, he has showcased such artists as Mike Silva, Anne Collier, and Nicole Eisenman. Read on to find out what exactly makes this art daddy of few words tick.
Who is your art daddy?
My father. He taught me persistence, love, and dedication.
What’s one piece of advice you wish you had been told when you were younger?
I got lots of good and bad advice. "It" is what you make with it.
If you had to choose a figure from art history who has big daddy energy, who would it be and why?
Curator Richard Flood. Knowledge. I consider myself his protege.
What was your biggest break in the industry?
No idea.
Describe your perfect Thursday night opening scenario (include your favorite dinner spot and post-opening activities).
Beers, wings, and listening to music on my i-Pod.
What is the one art exhibition that has always stuck with you?
The first from 1996: Ed Kienholz's retrospective at the Whitney, curated by Walther Hopp. The second: Edward Hopper: Hopper Drawing, also at the Whitney, in 2013, curated by Carter E. Foster.
What art-world event or ritual do you dread the most and why?
Secret Santa. No reason.
Who is your art world crush?
Piero della Francesca. He was radical, really different in his time. He stood out.
