Wildlife Art Journal Crawls Out From Its Den And Asks Shepherd or Hirst?

Who sits at the vanguard of art today?

There hasn't been "a" vanguard of art for a century or so, but a number of them, each advancing in its own direction, and I can't see how that's anything but good. As long as lots of folks are interested in what Damien Hirst does, he'll have a place in the museum world; still, many people forget that plenty of museum doors are closed to Hirst's work. There isn't a living artist whose work is universally accepted, and that's a healthy symptom of a diverse, vibrant art environment. Hugely successful artists who complain of getting a venue or critic's cold shoulder remind me of Paul McCartney's whining because Lennon's name always comes first in their song catalog. The greatest achievement one can attain as an artist is the leisure to voice such grievances.