Bergamot Station & Todd Goldman

This past Saturday I checked out Bergamot Station's fifteenth anniversary exhibition. Navigating through throngs of gallery-goers I made my way to the packed James Gray Gallery. On exhibit was the work of Todd Goldman, his bright, popping colors drawing the crowds at least as much as the gallery's bar, which happened to be in the same room. Unframed canvases were stacked floor to ceiling with Goldman's signature cartoon characters emblazoned with pseudo-ironic phrases like "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them" and "You say I'm a bitch like it's a bad thing!"

Besides his admonition for "Peas on Earth", Goldman's art never enters political territory, preferring the silly and superficial to thought provoking pieces which grapple with the major issues and zeitgeist of our time. He does tiredly appropriate works by Pop icons such as Andy Warhol's soup cans (Goldman transforms them into "Poop cans") and Roy Lichtenstein's comic strip aesthetic. In the following video at Goldman's opening at the Pop Factory, the reigning Queen of Pop Culture Paris Hilton calls him the "Pop icon of his time."



Goldman is the founder of the company David and Goliath (davidandgoliathtees.com) which makes a variety of merchandise including clothing, books, and posters emblazoned with his simply-rendered cartoons with characters like "Trendy Wendy" and "Goodbye Kitty". Unlike other highly commercialized artists like Takashi Murakami (who also created a group of characters and works with companies like Louis Vuitton on merchandising), Goldman seems to be a businessman first and "fine artist" second (or third). According to The Wall Street Journal, the company made 90 million dollars in 2004. Akin to Andy Warhol's Factory, he calls each of his stores "Stupid Factory." There is even a stupidfactorytv channel on Youtube which is filled with short (approximately 30 seconds) clips of Goldman's animation:



David & Goliath merchandise is clearly aimed at teenage girls, and while I wouldn't say Goldman takes on feminist issues, his work is decidedly "anti-boy." Goldman's male characters are infantile, have cooties, pick boogers and smell. The most pro-male product I can find from David & Goliath's online store is a profound magnet which reads "I 'heart' my penis." Goldman's females are bitchy and catty--but that's considered a good thing.

So what's the appeal of Goldman's appropriated pop art/comic strip turned T-Shirt turned obnoxious handbag? I went to his personal website (toddharrisgoldman.com) and although the site has a strong visual appeal, with "clickable" items ranging from a banana and post-it notes to a "dumb-blonde sex tape" dvd case (poking fun at Paris Hilton, no doubt), none of the links work. Like his paintings, Goldman's site is visually striking but superficial. There's no linking to a proposed bio, gallery of commissions nor press reports.

And Goldman has received his share of press. In 2007 he was accused of plagiarizing Dave "Shmorky" Kelly, a web cartoonist, for copying a piece with the quote "Dear God Make Everyone Die" (It's so clever, how could he resist?). He later issued a public apology, but much of his work has been criticized as unoriginal. Appropriation is a feature of much modern and contemporary art, but Goldman walks a fine line with certain compositions and phrases bordering on plagiarism. A website called "Todd Goldman: Art Thief" created by Mike Tyndall (www.miketyndall.com/todd_goldman) meticulously chronicles the prevalent similarities between Goldman's characters, David & Goliath merchandise, and his fine art with other cartoonists, early computer graphics and common clip art.

Conceptual artists of the 1960s and '70s fervently used performances, video art and happenings to erase the "objecthood" of art which they felt was wrapped up in a bourgeois capitalist culture. Completely opposed to their work, Goldman seems to be unabashedly commercial, blurring the line between fine artist and shop owner. Precursors to Goldman include Claes Oldenburg's legendary "Store" and Keith Haring's "Pop Shop" (which is still open online at www.pop-shop.com -- where one can buy a trendy Haring eco-friendly beverage container!). While Oldenburg was surely critiquing the business of the art world, Haring explained that he wanted to bring his work to the masses--not just those able to afford his original pieces. Besides Goldman's stated claim of just wanting to make people laugh, whether with him or at him, his company seems to have no motives other than to make money.

Art Business News reports that collectors of Goldman's work include Paul McCartney, Jessica Simpson, John Goodman and the Wayans Brothers. Nearing the end of the evening I spoke to gallery-owner James Gray, who was in a decidedly ebullient mood. I asked him what the deal with Goldman was, to which he relayed that just that evening he sold sixteen of his pieces.

So I guess someone thinks they're funny.