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We're on a historical cusp. No one knows what will come next. But in the art world, an aesthetic sorting out is already beginning. Partly this is a natural process and doesn't necessarily mean these artists are bad or not passionate. But the hypermarket that justly extended the careers of many artists also delayed the winnowing process of many others. Artistic qualities that once seemed undeniable don't seem so now. Sometimes these fluctuations are only fickleness of taste, momentary glitches in... read more...

In Jerry Saltz's recent article 'The New York Canon', James Kalm, a regular contributor to Saatchi Online TV, was struck by one glaring, unexplainable omission: that among its nearly 6,500 words, the one word that was missing from Saltz's article was: Williamsburg. In order to rectify matters, Kalm presents a history of Brooklyn's key art moments from the 1981 show 'Monumental', which included Keith Haring, Carl Andre, Komar and Melamid, to the 1999 'Sensation' show at the Brooklyn Museum which... read more...

When money and hype recede from the art world, one thing I won't miss will be what curator Francesco Bonami calls the "Eventocracy." All this flashy "art-fair art" and those highly produced space-eating spectacles and installations wow you for a minute until you move on to the next adrenaline event. Giant heads made of pots and pans; tigers flying through museums; muscle cars buffed by bikini-clad girls; bronze Hello Kitty sculptures in courtyards; enough plywood, plastic, aluminum, and steel c... read more...

This week the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York unveiled its latest roof garden exhibition. On view until 26 October is an installation of sculptures by American artist Jeff Koons, including three of his highly polished stainless steel works from his "Celebration" series. James Kalm was at the opening of the exhibition and talked to Jeff Koons about his work and the art market. To watch James Kalm's film click here. ... read more...

For his New York debut, André Butzer is showing 12 new brilliantly-coloured paintings that survey the ongoing motifs in his work. Butzer's paintings reference German and American history, culture and politics (both historical and contemporary), art history, science fiction, comics and animation. To play James Kalm's film of the opening night click here. ... read more...

New York-based critic and Saatchi Online magazine contributor James Kalm examines the power of the art blogosphere and its vexed relationship with 'the real world', including a recent attack on our very own Jerry Saltz (below).

James Kalm's extensive video report of the Whitney Biennial comes in four parts in addition to the first abortive attempt where he comes up against this cultural institution's notions of elitist control and access, as he covertly tries to expose the art in the biennial to a worldwide audience via the internet.
To see James Kalm get busted at the Whitney click here.
To play Part 1 click here.
To play Part 2 click here.
To play Part 3 click here.
To play Part 4 click here.

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James Kalm caught Mark Bradford's "Nobody Jones" before it closed last week. Also up on the magazine today is James Kalm's tour of Luc Tuymans' show at David Zwirner. To watch the video of Mark Bradford's show click here. To watch the video of Luc Tuymans's show click here.... read more...

James Kalm celebrates the one year anniversary of the "Kalm Report" with this documentation of some of the challenges he faces as he cycles around New York bringing viewers the latest shows at the city's galleries and museums. Kalm maps the process as he tries to comply with proper protocol for access to Karen Kilimnik's current show at the 303 Gallery. In the end, to file his 'report', Kalm resorts to goes on 'the lowdown' for exclusive unauthorized footage. Click here to watch the video. ... read more...

Jasper Johns' extensive retrospective reveals a lifetime of essentials, bringing together for the first time paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints from US and international collections. Concurrent with this exhibition at the Met is a show of drawings at Matthew Marks in New York. To watch James Kalm's tour of the drawings exhibition click here. ... read more...

As a spate of recent shows in Brooklyn seem to indicate, a subtle shift appears to be taking place with regard to culture's perception of beauty. Whether or not the exhibits of a few disparate artists constitute a movement or trend, they do serve as a gauge for the very contentious subject of "authenticity" and its apparent ascension over beauty in the hierarchy of aesthetic experience. To watch a video tour of the exhibition "Knucklehead Blues", including an interview with Brent Owens, click h... read more...

James Kalm returns to "Unmonumental; The Object in the 21st Century" to document the expanded "collage" section of the exhibition, which features recent collages by eleven artists, including works made expressly for the exhibition. Click here to play the video .

James Kalm takes us on an exclusive studio visit with Chris Martin as he prepares for his exhibition which opens at Mitchell Innes & Nash today. The artist discusses his interest in Outsider Art and some of the unusual materials he uses such as Wonder Bread. Read more and play video
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Sperone Westwater is showing new drawings by Julian Schnabel, artist and filmmaker. The works are painted in oil on found vintage nautical maps which are subsequently mounted onto stretched linen. James Kalm joined the waiting throngs at the opening of the show, and caught on film an interview with New York critic Charlie Finch, and cameos by Chris Martin, Wolfgang Petrick and actor Steve Buscemi. Read more and play video ... read more...

On the magazine today you can watch James Kalm's hilarious video of the opening of "And Who Are You? Work from Saatchi Online" in which he goes in search of Charles Saatchi - and in search of fame. The exhibition, Saatchi Online's first in New York, is at the Sara Tecchia Roma New York gallery in Chelsea until 26 January, and presents 11 artists registered
Read more and play video ... read more...

Williamsburg is still the territory of unique events and venues that could happen no place else. The now legendary Christmas exhibition, that's morphed into "War Is Over" show at Side Show, is one of New York's largest independently curated affairs. The 2007 edition featured the works of nearly 300 artists from three generations and lends credence to the notion that the burg is not just a place where the young come to break into the scene, but where mature practitioners (some with impeccable c... read more...

One of the stand-out group shows of the summer was Keith Mayerson's group show of almost 200 artists. James Kalm took his camera along to make a video of the show which you can watch by scrolling down to our red VIDEO boxes. You can also read Doug McClemont's review of the exhibition by clicking here. ... read more...

James Kalm takes a trip down memory lane with the controversial exhibition 'Summer of Love'. Looking back of over forty years, the show reveals the romanticism and exotic joy that was offered by the psychedelic revolution, featuring key figures of the time such as Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Abdul Mati Klarwein, Richard Lindner, and Isaac Abrams. Read more and play video . ... read more...

As one of New York's 'hot' young artists, Jules de Balincourt is saddled with high expectations. With an increase in scale, and an audacious use of colour and text, the paintings in his third solo show display a new maturity and a less obvious politicized approach to subject matter, establishing his practice as a stable and adventurous one. Read more and play video . ... read more...

James Kalm continues his tour of MoMA's show spotlighting 50 works of art that are painting, or relate to, the question, 'What is Painting?' Artists in the exhibition include Philip Guston, Philip Pearlstein, Lee Lozano, A.R. Penck, George Baselitz, John Baldessari, Lynda Benglis, Lee Bontecou, Marcel Broodthaers, Chuck Close, John Curin, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, et al. ... read more...

Ann Temkin, curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at MoMA in New York, leads viewers through a brief walk-through of the museum's show 'What Is Painting?' and delivers an insightful explanation of the works.

James Kalm sneaks his camera past the squadrons of guards to bring exclusive footage of this historical exhibition to the public. Richard Serra is universally acknowledged as one of our most influential sculptors. This exhibition, curated by Kynaston McShine, documents the evolving concepts that have impelled Serra's work. To truly experience these works requires the viewer to move through and around them, an experience that can't be simulated with still photography but which Kalm's video comes ... read more...

James Kalm reports on the US museum premiere of Jim Shaw's exhibition 'The Donner Party' at P.S1. The main piece in this intriguing exhibition is the large-scale installation which parodies Judy Chicago's 'The Dinner Party' now on permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum. With an exquisite appreciation of the weird and naive in American cultural kitsch, Shaw touches a nerve that is at once humorous, insightful and creepy. Read more and play video
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We launch today an exciting new part of Saatchi Online's daily magazine - James Kalm's videos of art openings, talks by artists and other art events taking place in New York. Here James Kalm explains how he went digital and began his fantastic documentation on video of the New York art world. The first video up today covers emerging artist William Powhida's recent show at Schroeder Romero gallery which included a series of 'lists' poking fun at the art world. ... read more...