In 1991, Matthew Barney exploded onto the New York art scene with all the force of his often insanely physical videos. Just eight years later, a New York Times article dared to crown him "the most important artist of his generation." The occasion was the release of "Cremaster," one of a cycle of five

Epic, Perverse, Quirky, Surreal

Oscar Wilde pursued a life -- an art -- of pure uselessness. This was not because he objected to pragmatic pursuits, if kept in their proper place: "We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it inten

Aestheticist fiction, Clever, Mythic, Perverse, Surreal, Witty

Betsey Johnson was always cool. All the It-girls of the mid-1960s sported her clothes: Twiggy draped them across her bony shoulders, while Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot, and Raquel Welch filled the flashy duds out. Johnson designed for the definitive '60s boutique Paraphernalia, recruiting as her m

Cartoonish, Ebullient, Kaleidoscopic, Perverse, Playful, Polychromatic, Sexy, Urban, Urban chic, Vibrant color, Wise assy, Witty

David Cronenberg has perfected the art of making us simultaneously cringe with disgust and stare with furtive fascination. With an early career marked by restless explorations in low-budget horror, he is no stranger to shocking cinema -- in fact, his biggest claim-to-fame may be the notorious explodi

Avant-garde film, Erotic, Fantastic, Grotesque, Perverse, Surrealist film, Visceral