EDUCATION

Benjamin Genocchio was born in Sydney, Australia, the second of four boys. Benjamin Genocchio grew up in the Lane Cove area and attended Newington College (1981–86) during his high school years. He studied Arts/Law at the University of Sydney earning his BA summa cum laude in 1992. Then Benjamin Genocchio completed a Ph.D. in Art History also at the University of Sydney in 1996 with a specialization in Latin American art after he had spent time living in Colombia in South America. He returned to Latin America for his research.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
AND ART CRITICISM

As a journalist, Benjamin Genocchio reported on art and culture from more than 20 countries for over two decades. Benjamin Genocchio was one of the first to report on Iranian art from inside Iran, in 2011 for the New York Times, and in the late 1990s the burgeoning Chinese art scene that became more transparent after 2001. Benjamin Genocchio also penned reports and dispatches on art and artists in Pakistan, Egypt, Vietnam, Spain, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Japan, and Indonesia among other countries. Additionally, he reviewed the Venice Biennial for 20 years. 

Benjamin Genocchio’s art evaluation process begins with his belief that “artwork can channel the spiritual, challenge the mind and stimulate the senses.” In a 2010 interview, Genocchio states that, “making art is one of the final arenas where there’s true freedom of expression.” When Benjamin Genocchio critiques a work of art, he considers the visual presentation, how the artist relates to their contemporaries and how the work of art stands in relation to history. Benjamin Genocchio puts it this way, “As a critic, I take the longest view possible. I’m not just writing for the moment, I consider what will last and the context of the artist within his peer group.”

Benjamin Genocchio is also known for his blunt, often controversial opinions and in an introduction to his 2002 book “The Art of Persuasion: Australian Art Criticism 1950-2001” he states that the best criticism should be “partisan and political” as well as “opinionated and salty”.

EARLY CAREER

In 1992, Benjamin Genocchio wrote his first published piece of art writing at age 22 for an exhibition catalog and it was working on this project that he first met Melissa Chiu, his future wife. In 1995, he landed his first position as a contributing editor with Eyeline, an Australian contemporary visual arts magazine. From 1997-1998, he got his start in mainstream media as art critic for BRW (Business Review Weekly) in Melbourne. Working as a freelancer, Genocchio wrote art reviews for the Bulletin and the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper before he moved to newspapers full-time. Benjamin Genocchio’s first editor-in-chief position was with Postwest Arts magazine which he edited from 1998-2001. He also served as associate publisher for Art Asia Pacific Magazine from 2003-2004.

The Australian

From 1998-2002, Benjamin Genocchio worked for The Australian, Australia’s daily national newspaper, first as Sydney art critic and then as national arts correspondent writing on art, design, architecture and culture nationally and from around the world. Some of Genocchio’s more notable articles written for the Australian were “To Russia With Love” with Benjamin Genocchio reporting from St. Petersburg, “Caught in the Crossing” as reported from inside Singapore, “Sex and Death” on Pablo Picasso, “Monet and Friends”, and “A Talent for Combat”, a review of Andrew Riemer’s biography of the art critic Robert Hughes.

While at The Australian, in March of 2002 Genocchio was catapulted into the limelight when his review of the exhibition “The Italians: Three Centuries of Italian Art” received front-page placement garnering international attention. Benjamin Genocchio’s article entitled, “These Italians a touch oversold’, criticized the exhibition as being “resoundingly average” containing poorly restored works of largely second and third-rate artists. A diplomatic upheaval ensued when Italy’s under secretary for culture, Vittorio Sgarbi, held a press conference launching a counter attack against what he perceived as an offensive critique. Sgarbi was offended enough to threaten suing the Murdoch press for 50 million-100 million dollars although a lawsuit was never brought.

In conjunction with his writing for the Australian, Benjamin Genocchio received 4 writer’s grants for books from the Australia Council for the Visual Arts and was a finalist for the Pascall Prize for Journalism in both 2002 and 2003.

The New York Times

In 2003, Benjamin Genocchio was recruited for a job as an art critic for the New York Times with primary responsibility for covering art exhibitions in the New York metropolitan region. He wrote for the New York Times from January 2003 to February 2010, writing over 1000 reviews and articles during his tenure. Some of Benjamin Genocchio’s more significant articles include, ‘Three Dimensions of Beauty’, a rough guide to outdoor sculpture viewing in the tri-state area, a review of a major show chronicling the works of Winslow Homer, a review of the 2003 show featuring works by painter Marsden Hartley, a series of articles on George Grosz, a 2004 article defining a new generation of New York art dealers, a report on the ‘Storage Bin Pollocks’ and numerous articles written about the international art world.

Blouin Media

In early 2010 Benjamin Genocchio became editorial director at Louise Blouin Media, and editor-in-chief of Art+Auction magazine, Modern Painters magazine and the website, artinfo.com.  He left the post at Modern Painters in 2011 to focus on building artinfo.com, now blouinartinfo.com. 

At Blouin Media, Benjamin Genocchio conducted a series of early video interviews with artist such as Robert Indiana, Marc Quinn, David Lynch, Ashley Bickerton and Robert Wilson. Benjamin Genocchio also reported on international art scenes in Azerbaijan, Dubai, Korea, and Mexico, as well as other countries. He wrote about the increasing popularity of art fairs and about the art market clinging to the 20th century. 

Artnet News

In January of 2014 Benjamin Genocchio joined Artnet, the German art price database and auction site, and in a few short months he conceived, staffed and founded Artnet news, a 24-hour art news website that launched in February of 2014. Benjamin Genocchio became the first editor-in-chief of Artnet News where he wrote numerous articles on varying subjects from Frank Gehry to Kim Jong-un, the Whitney Museum, Art Basel and Sotheby’s. He has interviewed people such as Tobias Maier and Diana Widaier Picasso.

Career Post Journalism

In January 2016, Benjamin Genocchio was recruited to head up The Armory Show, the New York Art Fair. He ran the fair until the end of 2017. In February 2018 he became Vice President of Galerie Gmurzynska USA Inc., setting up a New York operation for the Swiss gallery based in Zurich, St. Moritz and Zugg. Benjamin Genocchio is currently director at large for the Shoshana Wayne Gallery Los Angeles and New York.

Indigenous Australian Aboriginal art

Benjamin Genocchio has written extensively in support of Indigenous Australian Aboriginal artists. His 2008 book, ‘Dollar Dreaming’ chronicles the corruption behind the 500 million indigenous art market that leaves the artists themselves often living in abject poverty. While reporting for the Australian, Benjamin Genocchio wrote many articles on this subject including, “Won Over By Snake Charmers”, “Indigenous Award Collection Attests to the Best”, “Since the Year Dot” and “Enter the Dreaming”.

In 2001, Genocchio wrote, “Solitaire”, the first major publication on contemporary Indigenous Australian artist Fiona Foley whose art reflects her Badtjala culture. In conjunction with the book on Fiona Foley, Benjamin Genocchio was awarded a research fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts.

Academic positions

Teaching has been a large part of Benjamin Genocchio’s life since his earliest days in Australia. He started out from 1994-1995 as an assistant professor at the University of Sydney’s Institute of Fine Arts, his own alma mater. His next position was as associate professor at Charles Sturt University from 1996-1998. From 2001-2002, Benjamin Genocchio was an associate professor at the University of Western Sydney as well as a visiting professor of Art History and Theory at Boston University. In 2007 he taught at the CUNY Graduate Center as an adjunct professor of Art History and Criticism and from 2008-2009 he was a visiting professor of Contemporary Art at Hunter College.

VOLUNTEER WORK

Benjamin Genocchio has volunteered his time in various roles within the art community. In 2005 he was a juror for the ISE Cultural Foundation Summer Festival Art Student Exhibition in New York. From 2007-2008 he acted as a mentor for the CUE Art Foundation that is dedicated to providing opportunities for emerging and under-recognized artists. He was a juror for the 2009 Annual Juried Show of the Ridgefield Guild of Artists at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Benjamin Genocchio served as a juror in 2009 and 2010 for the AHL Foundation’s Contemporary Visual Arts Competition. In 2010, he also served as a juror for the 72nd Annual Guild Hall Artist Member’s show at the East Hampton museum.