I have to admit, with a title like “Steven Heller Doesn’t Need Your Matisse”, I was expecting an article denouncing the artistic value of Matisse (which would make quite an interesting blog post because of the Cone Sisters exhibit). Instead the article was an explanation of the work of author Steven Heller. On a side note this was a great example of how important a title can be for a piece of artwork or literature. Steven Heller wrote or coauthored more than 140 books, and is a well known design writer. His career started at the age of 17, when his assistantship at New York Free Press quickly turned into a art directing position. Heller is one of those rare college drop outs that does more with his life than live in his mother’s basement: He left NYU for a job at Screw magazine. At the age 24 he was hired by the New York Times to work on the op-ed page. The Times is where he stayed for 33 years. His success without college and formal education is a constant reminder that success can be found if one searches hard enough. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg can all attest to this. Over the past three decades, Heller’s irreverence and fresh views on power, art, and design made his bi-line an epidemic. Heller says that “I’d rather have an object of commerce, which I call a sculpture of commerce, than a Matisse.” Hellers unconventional views are symbolic of the personal nature of art: the value a piece of art has is the value we give it. Mona Lisa may as well be made into a napkin if not for the millions of people who appreciate its artistic value every day. People keep the magic in art alive, and as long as it inspires future generations with the same reverence and mystique as it does nowadays, then appreciation for fine art will never die. Heller teaches art at the School of Visual Arts, and has four books set for release in 2012. The article can be found here.

Steven Heller