2009 Power 100

Coming on the heels of 12 months of extraordinary financial stress, both in the artworld and the real world, the 2009 edition of the Power 100 reflects fundamental changes in influence. Previous No. 1s, both artists and collectors, have plummeted, while only the most ambitious of museums have stayed near the top; meanwhile, percolating up from the middle ranks is a new generation of highly networked, flexible, globetrotting curators – men and women at the very centre of a new way of working.

The ArtReview Power 100 is not just a who’s who to contemporary art but also a guide to general trends and forces that shape the artworld. With almost a third of entries new to the list this year, and sharp divisions among the panel of international experts making the selections, this edition is one of the freshest in years.

View artreview.com and subscribe to the magazine here.

1. Hans Ulrich Obrist
2. Glenn D. Lowry
3. Sir Nicholas Serota
4. Daniel Birnbaum
5. Larry Gagosian
6. François Pinault
7. Eli Broad
8. Anton Vidokle, Julieta Aranda & Brian Kuan Wood
9. Iwona Blazwick
10. Bruce Nauman
11. Iwan Wirth
12. David Zwirner
13. Jeff Koons
14. Jay Jopling
15. Marian Goodman
16. Agnes Gund
17. Takashi Murakami
18. Alfred Pacquement
19. Peter Fischli & David Weiss
20. Mike Kelley
21. Barbara Gladstone
22. Steven A. Cohen
23. Dominique Lévy & Robert Mnuchin
24. Adam D. Weinberg
25. Marc Glimcher
26. Amy Cappellazzo & Brett Gorvy
27. Cheyenne Westphal & Tobias Meyer
28. Ann Philbin
29. Matthew Higgs
30. Matthew Marks
31. Tim Blum & Jeff Poe
32. Gavin Brown
33. Ralph Rugoff
34. Liam Gillick
35. Anne Pasternak
36. Dakis Joannou
37. John Baldessari
38. Isa Genzken
39. Paul McCarthy
40. Michael Govan
41. Eugenio López
42. Cindy Sherman
43. Ai Weiwei
44. Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
45. Annette Schönholzer & Marc Spiegler
46. Diedrich Diederichsen
47. Richard Prince
48. Damien Hirst
49. Bernard Arnault
50. Massimiliano Gioni
51. Amanda Sharp & Matthew Slotover
52. Joel Wachs
53. Victor Pinchuk
54. Udo Kittelmann
55. Marina Abramović
56. Michael Ringier
57. Gerhard Richter
58. Richard Serra
59. RoseLee Goldberg
60. Kasper König
61. Roberta Smith
62. Monika Sprüth & Philomene Magers
63. Germano Celant
64. Emmanuel Perrotin
65. Peter Schjeldahl
66. Beatrix Ruf
67. Okwui Enwezor
68. Nicolas Bourriaud
69. Karen & Christian Boros
70. Isabelle Graw
71. Maurizio Cattelan
72. Charles Saatchi
73. Jerry Saltz
74. Jasper Johns
75. Louise Bourgeois
76. Thaddaeus Ropac
77. Mera & Don Rubell
78. Thelma Golden
79. Sarah Morris
80. Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
81. Anita & Poju Zabludowicz
82. Paul Schimmel
83. Jose, Alberto & David Mugrabi
84. Sadie Coles
85. Daniel Buchholz
86. Victoria Miro
87. Maureen Paley
88. Johann König
89. Nicolai Wallner
90. Maria Lind
91. Massimo De Carlo
92. Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi & Maurizio Rigillo
93. Rirkrit Tiravanija
94. Toby Webster
95. Long March Space
96. Nicholas Logsdail
97. Harry Blain & Graham Southern
98. Claire Hsu
99. Peter Nagy
100. Glenn Beck
ArtReview Power 100 2009 Magazine Cover


Profession 2008/2009

ArtReview Power 100

Gender

ArtReview Power 100

Nationality

ArtReview Power 100

52 Comments so far

  1. radha on December 3rd, 2009

    Where are the Indian artists like M.F. Hussain, Anish Kapoor? This list is very disappointing.

  2. Lucy on November 30th, 2009

    The Most Powerful 100 People…. from an American magazine’s point of view. I think it says more about the country this magazine is published in, than the art world itself

  3. Susan on November 25th, 2009

    Glenn Beck? I don’t get it.

  4. nina on November 4th, 2009

    How does AR define “influential/powerful?”

  5. Curating.info on November 2nd, 2009

    Pick ‘N Mix – November 2009…

    Welcome to this month’s Pick ‘N Mix.

    - “Everyone’s a Curator” is the theme of a recent item over at Bad at Sports. As they say: “Even Umberto Eco. I love what the Louvre is doing by signing him on as guest curator (as they have previously done…

  6. Yelsou on November 1st, 2009

    I see no Eskimos or Apache Indians listed. Appalling! Glenn Beck bumped me off the list. I am now 101.

  7. nina212 on October 30th, 2009

    Those are some crappy looking graphs, people. Get schooled http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi

  8. Jonathan on October 30th, 2009

    I find that the addition to be in extreme distaste. Not that I am offended, I just naturally don’t trust the list’s opinion. It’s a gimmick. Kangaroo Review!

  9. Nadar Fox on October 30th, 2009

    yesterday’s news-already stale-where are the kinetic/tech/web/sound artists?
    there are no more castles
    there are no more kings
    there are no more castes
    and democracy reigns
    …how many of your gallery advertisers/contributors/previous article subjects are on the list?
    no self promo here is there?

  10. Hervé on October 29th, 2009

    Where is my name ?

    http://www.1connu.com

  11. cb on October 29th, 2009

    I guess anyone can make lists… but is there an explanation as to why some people are selected and where they are placed or is it just for us to speculate?

  12. Editor on October 26th, 2009

    EJW: We will be adding biographies for all 2009 Power 100s in the coming weeks, but in the meantime you can link to http://www.artreviewdigital.com and read them there.

  13. gaby cf on October 24th, 2009

    i don’t get the Glenn Beck joke.
    is it because of the Jerry Saltz exhibition challenge?

    and no latin americans? c’mon.

  14. EJW on October 22nd, 2009

    Just a suggestion. How about linking each name to a biography on them? I do not recognize many of the names. It would be a great read and learning curve to be able to see who each person is. I want to read about what makes them so influential.

  15. Andile Magengelele on October 22nd, 2009

    Bwoy!…wa gwaan with these powerful (read myopic) art world. Even in this century where the Obama’s of theis world win Npbel Prize…we still get a bunch of wankers who sit there popping LSD and decide who’s who.What about Africa. Why no one ever consider Siandika Donkolo Foundation in Angola? Am happy though that Okwui moved from no. 87 to 67. I think Hans Ulrich Obrist is over rated …he is acerbic nonetheless. Keep doing the list…its good for discourse. Big Up TO THE Global Art World Revolution!!

  16. Rauri Grahan on October 22nd, 2009

    the list shows the appalling patriarchal dominance of women in the art world. Shocking….

  17. Rauri Grahan on October 20th, 2009

    this is absolutely appalling in terms of female representation. It is sick how male dominated the art world is. I wish that there penises will rot and a way that these men will dominate over to become a more maternal and less patriarchal institution…

  18. Rachel on October 19th, 2009

    Would be very interesting to see a list that shows emerging artists and gallerists, sort of a people to watch list.

  19. wu dongqu on October 19th, 2009
  20. JPBittencourt on October 19th, 2009

    It’s a shame no South Americans are present in your list.
    That seems one more cluster of developed countries !!!

  21. brighart on October 17th, 2009

    You did a great job. Thanks

  22. manuelle YERLY on October 17th, 2009

    Who had influenced yourself to establish this list ? that one or those ones could be the over power 100,don ‘t they, if we understand the kind of thinking attached to this kind of list, useful for people who’ve got something to sell, ne

    ?

  23. big lee on October 17th, 2009

    Where is Banksy? A sold out exhibition people had to queue for hours for…

  24. mahesh chandra on October 16th, 2009

    Filial ingratitude . No Duchamp ? How absurd ! No Paik ? How incredulous ! Isnt it a silly proposition that a curator or a shop-keeper ie Gagosian or a price-fixer ( P … read the disgraced owner of Christies )Well paid museum directors are parasites living off the blood and sweat of the Artists . Artist is primogeniture ….. the rest money-spinners .

  25. Brett de Jeunez on October 16th, 2009

    Ha ha ho ho. Is this true? Is it true that somebody is making up a list of the 100 “most powerful” people in the kingdom of art? What a humbug. And interestingly, some people do take it as if there is said anything with this catalogue of media presence. It’s probably meant as a lesson about how stardom chasing has become a part of every part of our society. Where’s is the next global superstar in art? Let’s make a casting… I always felt that art is becoming more and more the derrieregarde of mass media and pop and nonsense. Proven!

  26. admin on October 16th, 2009

    More complete statistics, including a 2008 nationality graphic, can be found in the magazine online: http://www.artreviewdigital.com

  27. admin on October 16th, 2009

    Anton Vidokle, number 8

  28. janie joel on October 16th, 2009

    How about showing a graphic for nationality in 2008 to compare with this year or even five years ago? Bet we’d see some changes…

  29. calculator on October 16th, 2009

    I can’t find any russian in this list, but diagram shows 1% to Russia. Please, help!

  30. Artcore on October 16th, 2009

    I dont see any dutch poeple among these so called 100 most influent poeple in art!
    What about thad dutch gui albertus Van Wyk adagp member in france , for political reasons under french sencure with some extraordinary creative ideas in artistic and cultural aereas with his specific art alloy’s aenors,spirit of aenors, his serial ‘Ikons of the planet’s soul’ based on driftwoods withe aenors applications, his multicoçeptual colectors items wich are to be considered revolutionary sice they are refundable with interest of9% at 36 month’s if returned sealed and sound wich makes them similar to bankdraft’s!
    http://www.aenors.com

  31. gail on October 15th, 2009

    pratik bhat: see #62

    I am also interested if this is “the” Glenn Beck…if so, why?

  32. Sandra Young on October 15th, 2009

    Where is Joan Sonnabend? I would have expected to see her name on the list. Glenn Beck ??? Must be there because of his expose of the NEA and the White House episode. Isn’t it frightening to think that BHO (who really should be on the list) wants to get rid of charitable contributions? I mean doesn’t that just start to kill the art industry? http:\\www.KingP234.com

  33. Steven Kaplan on October 15th, 2009
  34. mar on October 15th, 2009

    Wow there are not any Spanish at all, thats rocks!

  35. MATTHEW ROSE on October 15th, 2009

    Just to follow up: Ray Johnson, Rauschenberg, Cornell, Cage, Schwitters and many of the late Fluxus artists have been a great influence on my work, and I know they are still influencing thousands of artists the world over. Cage, for one, is a giant and his influence is extremely powerful. More so than, say, Victoria Miro.

    MATTHEW ROSE / http://homepage.mac.com/mistahcoughdrop/

  36. Georges on October 15th, 2009

    Why no Steve Lazarides?

  37. karen wright on October 15th, 2009

    I hope everyone notices that this is by an anonymous jury. People so anxious about their pecking order that they are not prepared to be revealed as to what their authority is. How can the market have overtaken the institution so far that only dealers really feature. Old is good but why are there almost no younger artists on there? and how can Rirkrit be on here when Phillipe Parreno is not nor as another person comments no South Americans, Frances Alys nor Orozco nor Meirieles.
    Bad list guys.

  38. Steve on October 15th, 2009

    HAHA Gratz Glenn Beck!!
    I wonder how much it hurt putting him on here..
    HAHA I love it :)

  39. Gerald on October 15th, 2009

    pratik bhat, check number 62 where Monika Sprüth & Philomene Magers stand.

  40. MATTHEW ROSE on October 15th, 2009

    I’m a bit surprised Glenn Beck is on this list at all. Unless this is another Glenn Beck and not the Right Wing Fox Newsbunny.

    On another front, I’m also curious about how many dead artists have more influence on art than living artists, curators and barmaids. That category might produce an entirely different list, include more women and more geographical diversity.

    MATTHEW ROSE / http://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/

  41. corinna till on October 14th, 2009

    not seen anything yet to comment on

  42. marsantonelo on October 14th, 2009

    i think you sould put Gabriel Orozco in the list. is one of the gratest artist of the last 20 years.
    Also, Francis Allis, and Mario Garcia Torres.

  43. Andrea on October 13th, 2009

    last year I bought ArtReview Power 100 edition, thus I’m really ansious to see the new list (because I work for the cultural edition of a mexican newspaper).

    A.

  44. Angelo Dias on October 13th, 2009

    Great work !!!!!!!

  45. Borja Casani on October 13th, 2009

    I want to see that. Thanks

  46. Kate Murdoch on October 13th, 2009

    I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks in anticipation.
    All the best.
    Kate

  47. Adrian on October 13th, 2009

    who will it be I wonder?

  48. Tasneem Salam on October 13th, 2009

    please send me a copy of this list

  49. James Thorn on October 13th, 2009

    Just give me the Info

  50. beatrice pecceu on October 13th, 2009

    the Power 100 is the best!

  51. FINBAR KELLY on October 12th, 2009

    Please forward the power 100 list when it becomes available.

  52. pratik bhat on October 7th, 2009

    hi

    i noticed a big absence in your power list. in the art world it is common that gallery sprüth magers is very big. espacially monika sprüth has a big influence. she sales gursky sherman holzer fischli/weiss baldessari. and much more http://www.spruethmagers.com

    i suppose you just forgot her in the list, because there are a few galerist in, i doubt if monika sprüth isnt more important as she works with this big artist over 30 years. just check wikipedia…

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprüth_Magers_Berlin_London

    i hope i could help you. thank you

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