Benjamin Genocchio (born 1969) is an Australian

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

writer. Since October 2019 he has been director-at-large for Shoshana Wayne in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He worked as an art critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', and then as

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''

Art+Auction Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wh ...

'' magazine, ''

Modern Painters ''Modern Painters'' (1843–1860) is a five-volume work by the Victorian art critic, John Ruskin, begun when he was 24 years old based on material collected in Switzerland in 1842. Ruskin argues that recent painters emerging from the tradition of ...

'' magazine and the website "artinfo.com". He was director of the

Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of ...

until November 2017, when he was ousted following allegations of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

, which he denied. He was previously

of ''

Artnet News Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City, in the United States, and is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly traded company based in Berlin that is listed on t ...

'', where he also faced accusations of sexual harassment.

Family and education

Genocchio was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, in 1969, the second of four sons of an Italian father, Giorgio, who worked on a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

, and an Australian mother, Jennifer. Genocchio grew up in

Lane Cove Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove is nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governmen ...

and attended

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

from 1981 to 1986. As a youth he had a short attention span and a low boredom threshold, traits he says led him to become an art critic. Genocchio completed a PhD in

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic vis ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1996. He is a citizen of Australia and Italy.

Career

In late December 2002 Genocchio moved to New York to begin writing for ''

''. In 2008 he published ''Dollar Dreaming'', an

exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

of corruption and double-dealing in the $500-million trade in Aboriginal art in Australia and abroad. In early 2010 he became editorial director at

Louise Blouin Media Louise Blouin Media is an art magazine and book publishing company based in New York City. Founded by Louise Blouin,. Archived March 18, 2006. it publishes the magazines '' Art+Auction'', ''Gallery Guide'' and ''Modern Painters''. It owns , a ...

, and editor-in-chief of ''

'' magazine, ''

'' and artinfo.com. He left the post at ''Modern Painters'' in 2011. Genocchio left Blouin Media in January 2014 and joined

Artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City, in the United States, and is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly traded company based in Berlin that is listed on t ...

, where he was made editor-in-chief of Artnet News, a 24-hour art news website. In December 2015 he was appointed director of the Armory Show. He was ousted in November 2017 after multiple accusations of sexual harassment were made against him that extended to his time at Louise Blouin Media, Artnet and the Armory. He denied the accusation in a statement saying that while he had conflicts with employees, he never acted inappropriately, and apologized for any behavior perceived as disrespectful. In October 2019 he was director-at-large for the Shoshana Wayne Gallery in

and

Personal life

In 2014 Genocchio lived in

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

and was married to curator

Melissa Chiu Melissa Chiu (born 1972) is a museum director, curator and author, and the director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC. She is a board member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the American Alliance of Museums, ...

, with whom he wrote ''Asian Art Now''.

Publications

* ''Dollar Dreaming: The Rise of the Aboriginal Art Market'' * ''Fiona Foley: Solitaire'' * ''The Art of Persuasion, Australian Art Criticism'' * ''Simeon Nelson, Passages'' * (ed.) ''What is Installation?''University of Illinois Press - What is Installation
* ''Asian Contemporary Art'' * (ed.) ''Contemporary Asian Art, A Critical Reader''

References

External links

Benjamin Genocchio
Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Genocchio, Benjamin 1969 births Living people Australian art critics Australian art historians Australian expatriates in the United States People educated at Newington College Australian people of Italian descent Journalists from Sydney The New York Times people Australian magazine editors Australian art curators