Museum directors union, [Artoons, 2008–2022 series]

- Drawing & Print (Drawing & Print)

Pablo Helguera


A sly sense of humor is key in Pablo Helguera’s long-running Artoons series, one that includes ~1500 drawings made over ten years. It’s no secret that the artworld tends to take itself too seriously, so it’s no surprise that Helguera’s project has developed a large following over the past decade—providing much needed comic relief.. Helguera grew up making and exchanging drawings like these with his father and brother, but never made drawing a part of his public practice until in 2008, when he began periodically posting what came to be known as ‘Artoons’ on Facebook. The series caricatures and lampoons agents and events in the artworld, combining just enough visual reference along with a caption. Always served with a dose of wit or irony, the series avoids contempt and sarcasm. While the drawings have appeared in numerous publications, including a monthly column in the Art Newspaper, a survey was exhibited earlier this year at the Juan March Foundation in Spain. While Helguera references legends like Saul Stienberg as influences, an artist who managed to make cartooning a serious practice used to address complex social and political issues, his work could also be compared to Ad Reinhardt’s practice of cartooning, which sometimes pointed its critical humor at the art world.


In addition to a long and diverse career as an artist, performer and writer of over a dozen books, Pablo Helguera has worked in the education departments of key institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum (1998-2005) and MoMA (2007-2020). That position has allowed him to become an “amateur anthropologist,” observing the artworld from the inside. Over the years he has witnessed the role of different actors (directors, dealers, curators, critics and collectors) and social environments (performances, openings, fairs, biennials). As an artists, Helguera has exhibited or performed at venues such as MoMA, Museo de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; ICA Boston; RCA London; 8th Havana Biennal, PERFORMA 05, Havana; Shedhalle, Zurich; MoMA P.S.1, New York; Brooklyn Museum; IFA Galerie, Bonn; Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo; MALBA museum in Buenos Aires, Ex-Teresa Espacio Alternativo in Mexico City, The Bronx Museum, Artist Space, and Sculpture Center, among many others.


Colors:



Other related works, blended automatically  
» see more

Notions of cuteness, [Artoons, 2008–2022 series]
© » KADIST

Pablo Helguera

A sly sense of humor is key in Pablo Helguera’s long-running Artoons series, one that includes ~1500 drawings made over ten years...

Related works sharing similar palette  
» see more

Kitt Bennett Crafts Record-Breaking ‘Gif-iti’
© » HIGH FRUCTOSE

Kitt Bennett's "aerial mural work" was recently combined with satellite technology to craft the world's most massive independently created piece of "gif-iti" (or GIF-style graffiti) on 96,875-square-feet of waterfront space in Australia...

Joe Sidek: “I’ve never felt more strong”
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Joe Sidek: "I've never felt more strong" | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Illustration of Joe Sidek by Jackie Goh of The Fingersmith Letterpress November 21, 2018 By Kathy Rowland (910 words, five-minute read) Joe Sidek will not be cowed...

The Site Where Alexander the Great was Crowned King Reopens and More News
© » ART & OBJECT

The Site Where Alexander the Great was Crowned King Reopens and More News | Art & Object Skip to main content Subscribe to our free e-letter! Webform Your Email Address Role Art Collector/Enthusiast Artist Art World Professional Academic Country USA Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Ascension Island Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canary Islands Cape Verde Caribbean Netherlands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Ceuta & Melilla Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo - Brazzaville Congo - Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard & McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao SAR China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Outlying Oceania Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka St...

Plum artist takes us ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ in Etna show
© » TRIBLIVE

Plum artist takes us ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ in Etna show | TribLIVE.com Art & Museums Plum artist takes us ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ in Etna show Harry Funk Sunday, Oct...

Other works by: » Pablo Helguera  
» see more

Notions of cuteness, [Artoons, 2008–2022 series]
© » KADIST

Pablo Helguera

A sly sense of humor is key in Pablo Helguera’s long-running Artoons series, one that includes ~1500 drawings made over ten years...

artworld standup comedy, [Artoons, 2008–2022 series]
© » KADIST

Pablo Helguera

A sly sense of humor is key in Pablo Helguera’s long-running Artoons series, one that includes ~1500 drawings made over ten years...

Road to Hell, [Artoons, 2008–2022 series]
© » KADIST

Pablo Helguera

A sly sense of humor is key in Pablo Helguera’s long-running Artoons series, one that includes ~1500 drawings made over ten years...

I never met an artist I did not pretend to like [Artoons, 2008-2022 series]
© » KADIST

Pablo Helguera

2010

A sly sense of humor is key in Pablo Helguera’s long-running Artoons series, one that includes ~1500 drawings made over ten years...

Wright Imperial Hotel
© » KADIST

Abraham Cruzvillegas

2004

Wright Imperial Hotel (2004) is a sort of bow and arrow made out of feathers, a São Paulo phone book, and other materials...

Related works found in the same semantic group  
» see more

Doze Green Returns to NYC With ‘A Volta’
© » HIGH FRUCTOSE

With “A Volta,” Allouche Gallery looks at the evolution of the legendary b-boy and street artist Doze Green through paintings and drawings...

Bugs Bunny Behind a Mesophile Bush
© » KADIST

Paloma Contreras Lomas

2020

Paloma Contreras Lomas sometimes incorporates large scale drawing into her practice...

Landed / Untitled XII (orange string)
© » KADIST

Moshekwa Langa

2004

Hybridized drawing is a continued exploration in Moshekwa’s practice, integrating elements of graffiti, thread and yarn to enrich his abstract drawings of maps and space...

Bottoms Up
© » KADIST

Christina Quarles

2018

The title of the painting refers to the fact that the figure’s behind is raised upwards and the face is found at the bottom of the painting, thus inverting the way in which people are normally seen...