The 100 Most Iconic Artworks of the Last 5 Years

[morningfog]

Slideshow of the Top 25: http://artinfo.com/photo-galleries/slideshow-the-25-most-iconic-artworks-of-the-last-5-years


What are the most resonant works of art from the recent past? From among the thousands of individual works that pass through galleries and museums, which have affected the conversation in some significant way? Amid all of contemporary art's chaotic installations and ephemeral gestures, which images have some staying power? These are the questions that ARTINFO set out to answer with its list of "100 Most Iconic Artworks From the Last 5 Years."

How did we put together our ranking? First, we asked a broad group of colleages to submit their nominations for artworks, from 2007 or later, that they considered to be in some way "iconic." Then we asked members of our staff and a few distinguished outsiders to give the works on the resulting list a score of 1 to 10. Adding our scores together, we came up with a ranked list of 100 artworks from the last half-decade.

Finally, more than one "iconic" artwork on our list has become resonant in its failure as much as its success, from Christoph Büchel's "Training Ground for Democracy," whose vast ambition famously resulted in it never being completed, to Richard Prince's "Canal Zone," which has become a symbol, in a way, of the battles over the use of appropriated imagery — hardly its intended effect. At any rate, it seems clear that "iconic" doesn't necessarily mean "successful," though it does mean that the work in question throws off some kind of charge that is bound to have larger effects.

Here it is then, ARTINFO's "100 Most Iconic Artworks of the Last 5 Years" (to see our illustrated commentary on the Top 25 Most Iconic Artworks, click on the slide show):

1) Christian Marclay, "The Clock," 2010

2) Marina Abramovic, "The Artist Is Present," 2010

3) Tino Sehgal, "This Progress," 2010

4) Ai Weiwei, "Sunflower Seeds," 2010

5) Damien Hirst, "For the Love of God," 2007

6) Mark Wallinger, "State Britain," 2007

7) Voina, "A Dick Captured by the FSB," 2010

8) Shepard Fairey, "HOPE," 2008

9) Pussy Riot, Christ the Savior Cathedral performance, 2012

10) Allora & Calzadilla, "Track and Field," 2011

11) Jayson Musson, "Art Thoughtz," 2010-present

12) Antony Gormley, "One and Other," 2009

13) Jon Rafman, "9 Eyes of Google Street View," 2009

14) Michael Heizer, "Levitated Mass," 2012

15) Paul Chan, "Waiting for Godot in New Orleans," 2007

16) Superflex, "Flooded McDonald's," 2009

17) Maurizio Cattelan, "L.O.V.E.," 2010

18) Anish Kapoor, "ArcelorMittal Orbit," 2012

19) Olafur Eliasson, "The New York City Waterfalls," 2008

20) Teresa Margolles, "¿De qué otra cosa podríamos hablar?," 2009

21) Urs Fischer, "You," 2007

22) Ai Weiwei, "Remembering," 2009

23) Bruce High Quality Foundation, "Bruce High Quality Foundation University," 2009-present

24) Ryan Trecartin, "I-Be Area," 2007

25) Dash Snow & Dan Colen, "Nest," 2007

Full list of 100: http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/826311/the-100-most-iconic-artworks-of-the-last-5-years

Slideshow of Top 25: http://artinfo.com/photo-galleries/slideshow-the-25-most-iconic-artworks-of-the-last-5-years?image=0

[Bennyboy]

1. No Banksy?

Interesting. The guy that set the art world on it's ear over the past five years and is the most highly sought after artist since Dali or Picasso?? Hmm. Seems they could have put at least one of his pieces in that list I think. Of course it is tough to inflate the value of the art if it is on a public building.

[morningfog]

3. Agreed.

[patrice]

2. k, well, with a few exceptions most of that was pretty under-whelming nt

[reformist2]

4. Umm, why is THIS not in the Top 10?

[Speck Tater]

5. Flooded McDonald's looks interesting.

I wonder when they will release it on dvd.