The Gallerist, the third feature film by director Cathy Yan, begins with an appropriate quote by Andy Warhol: “Art is what you can get away with.” While this statement is certainly fitting in this story about an art gallery, its clientele, art critics, and the like, it’s an even more apt statement about The Gallerist itself. In a world where we already have had films like The Square, Velvet Buzzsaw, Art School Confidential, Exit Through the Gift Shop, and plenty of other films parodying the absurdism and pretension of the art world, it almost feels like Yan is trying to get away with making yet another satirical take on modern art, but without saying anything new we haven’t heard before. Despite a game cast and a clever concept, The Gallerist is neither a biting critique nor is it a successful comedy — it’s just bland art.
