--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I made my way through 'On Line,' the…" description: "\"As I made my way through 'On Line,' the austere, stridently dogmatic, sometimes revelatory exhibition 'about line' at MoMA, I found myself thinking, 'S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/jerry-saltz-1712_artist_as-i-made-my-way-through-on-line-the-aus_2741472.png" --- # As I made my way through 'On Line,' the austere… ![“As I made my way through 'On Line,' the austere, stridently dogmatic, sometimes revelatory exhibition 'about line' at MoMA, I found myself thinking, 'Someone please wake me when the seventies are over!' In the empire of curators, the sun never sets on the seventies. It is the undead decade.” quote by Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/jerry-saltz-1712_artist_as-i-made-my-way-through-on-line-the-aus_2741472.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/jerry-saltz-1712_artist_as-i-made-my-way-through-on-line-the-aus_2741472.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/jerry-saltz-1712_artist_as-i-made-my-way-through-on-line-the-aus_2741472.png) > “As I made my way through 'On Line,' the austere, stridently dogmatic, sometimes revelatory exhibition 'about line' at MoMA, I found myself thinking, 'Someone please wake me when the seventies are over!' In the empire of curators, the sun never sets on the seventies. It is the undead decade.” [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A critique of contemporary curatorial trends that feel stuck in past aesthetics, yearning for fresh perspectives. **In simple terms:** Curators cling to outdated styles. Key Takeaway Seek innovation over nostalgia. Themes art culture nostalgia Mood reflective critical Type analytical thoughtful When to use this quote - museum visits - art education - creative projects Key Concepts curatorial practice historical influence Questions to Reflect On - How can curators balance homage and innovation? - What drives the persistence of past trends? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Exhibitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibitions/) [Seventies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventies/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Undead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undead/) ## Related quotes > [While the space for artists and curators has increased enormously, maybe, just maybe, that's left room for too many people calling themselves artists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/while-the-space-for-artists-and-curators-has-increased-enormously/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/when-money-and-hype-recede-from-the-art-world-one-thing-i-won-t-miss/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Every movement that slays its gods creates new ones, of course. I loathe talk of the sixties and seventies being a 'Greatest Generation' of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/every-movement-that-slays-its-gods-creates-new-ones-of-course-i/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The very paradigm of revolution, of right versus wrong, good versus bad, is a relic with no bearing on the present. Yet artists, exhibitions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-very-paradigm-of-revolution-of-right-versus-wrong-good-versus-bad/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I also take pleasure in the so-called negative power in Grotjahn's work. That is, I love his paintings for what they are not. Unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-also-take-pleasure-in-the-so-called-negative-power-in-grotjahn-s/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I see around 100 shows a month, going from Niketown-size palaces where you feel like yelling, to storefronts in Bushwick. Each has to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-see-around-100-shows-a-month-going-from-niketown-size-palaces-where/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I don't often go to curator or artist walk-throughs of exhibitions. For a critic, it feels like cheating. I want to see shows with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-don-t-often-go-to-curator-or-artist-walk-throughs-of-exhibitions/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Too many younger artists, critics, and curators are fetishizing the sixties, transforming the period into a deformed cult, a fantasy religion, a hip brand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/too-many-younger-artists-critics-and-curators-are-fetishizing-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [“I couldn’t help but remember the one at my parents’ place after they had passed. I’d gone through their things and hadn’t kept much,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-couldn-t-help-but-remember-the-one-at-my-parents-place-after-they/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [In an era when museum curators were busy introducing the public to photographs of daily life taken by Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Diane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-silverman/in-an-era-when-museum-curators-were-busy-introducing-the-public-to/) [Burton Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-silverman/) > [Curator Shantrelle P. Lewis left for Amsterdam an Andy Warhol fellow, and came back with a film in her pocket. Please support this confrontation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dream-hampton/curator-shantrelle-p-lewis-left-for-amsterdam-an-andy-warhol-fellow/) [dream hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dream-hampton/) > [I spent more than ten years working on the Neues Museum. It was a wonderful experience, an example of real collaboration between architects, conservationists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chipperfield/i-spent-more-than-ten-years-working-on-the-neues-museum-it-was-a/) [David Chipperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chipperfield/) > [If you work as a curator, as I do, at Hampton Court, you sometimes wonder if there might be more to life than Henry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/if-you-work-as-a-curator-as-i-do-at-hampton-court-you-sometimes/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) > [“Rachel scowled. “You’ve known Mrak longer than anyone alive. You know what I know — the things he's done, the things he hides from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-g-night/rachel-scowled-you-ve-known-mrak-longer-than-anyone-alive-you-know/) [S.G. Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-g-night/) > [“I AM the current curator of the black trunk and the stories it holds within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-barrett/i-am-the-current-curator-of-the-black-trunk-and-the-stories-it-holds/) [Hope Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-barrett/) ## More by Jerry Saltz > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Kinkade estimated that one of his paintings hung in every twenty homes in America. Yet the art world unanimously ignores or reviles him. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/kinkade-estimated-that-one-of-his-paintings-hung-in-every-twenty/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The German ueber-photographer Andreas Gursky was the perfect pre-9/11 artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-german-ueber-photographer-andreas-gursky-was-the-perfect-pre-9-11/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The debut show, “Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary,” is supposed to be about how artists reuse humble or unusual materials. There’s good work here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-debut-show-second-lives-remixing-the-ordinary-is-supposed-to-be/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [While the space for artists and curators has increased enormously, maybe, just maybe, that's left room for too many people calling themselves artists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/while-the-space-for-artists-and-curators-has-increased-enormously/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Those who love him love that he sells the most art; they take it as a point of faith that this proves Kinkade is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/those-who-love-him-love-that-he-sells-the-most-art-they-take-it-as-a/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > ['Untitled' is a time machine that can transport you to 1992, an edgy moment when the art world was crumbling, money was scarce, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/untitled-is-a-time-machine-that-can-transport-you-to-1992-an-edgy/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I love art dealers. In some ways, they're my favorite people in the art world. Really. I love that they put their money where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-love-art-dealers-in-some-ways-they-re-my-favorite-people-in-the-art/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-nominee-for-best-picture-of-the-year-maybe-the-best-picture-ever/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Many things happened in the sixties, but the period is no more significant, better, or more 'political' than today. It's time to turn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/many-things-happened-in-the-sixties-but-the-period-is-no-more/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [When people in stadiums do the Wave, it's the group-mind collective organism spontaneously organizing itself to express an emotion, pass time, and reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/when-people-in-stadiums-do-the-wave-it-s-the-group-mind-collective/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Few contemporary artists mined the space between the ordinary and the strange better than Orozco did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/few-contemporary-artists-mined-the-space-between-the-ordinary-and-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The giant white cube is now impeding rather than enhancing the rhythms of art. It preprograms a viewer's journey, shifts the emphasis from process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-giant-white-cube-is-now-impeding-rather-than-enhancing-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Art schools are partly the villain here. (Never mind that I teach in them.) This generation of artists is the first to have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/art-schools-are-partly-the-villain-here-never-mind-that-i-teach-in/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [There's one Baldessari work I genuinely love and would like to own, maybe because of my Midwestern roots and love of driving alone. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) [Explore all 213 Jerry Saltz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As I made my way through 'On Line,' the austere, stridently dogmatic, sometimes revelatory exhibition 'about line' at MoMA, I found myself thinking, 'Someone please wake me when the seventies are over!' In the empire of curators, the sun never sets on the seventies. 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