Whitney Biennial: Recession Art

This weekend sees the opening in New York of the Whitney Biennial, the always controversial survey of contemporary American art. The theme this time around is lowered expectations, writes Holland Cutter for the New York Times, and the result is a modest, low-key, sparsely populated affair. "A biennial for a recession-bound time? That’s one impression it gives," writes Cotter.

With about 80 artists, this is one of the smallest exhibitions in years. The curators have chosen work that utilizes "down-market materials" such as plastic and plywood, as well as "all kinds of found and recycled ingredients, otherwise known as trash." Assemblage and collage are the standard media; fans of painting "will be on a near-starvation diet." (More Whitney Museum stories.)