Family Ties: When Bad Art Profits From Blood Relations

“For me, growing up, the downside of it was that as a kid you don't want to stand out. You don't want to have a famous father let alone get a job because of your famous father, you know? But I'm a product of nepotism. That's how I got my foot in the door, through my dad.” –Jeff Bridges

First used in 1670, the word nepotism, Latin for nepotis (nephew), was used to describe preferential treatment granted to relatives regardless of merit. Originally started as a practice by Catholic popes and bishops of the Middle Ages, who had taken vows of chastity, they regularly gave their nephews positions of partiality since they had no children of their own. Since then, not much has changed.

Nowadays, nepotistic tendencies, especially for those in positions of power, are regularly spotted and scrutinized, with media and technology making it easier to determine which individuals are working hard or hardly work. From Jean Sarkozy, son of the current and vertically challenged French President Nicolas Sarkozy, becoming the head of the EPAD in 2009 without a diploma or any experience, to the continued dynastic nepotism of the Gandhi’s in India to the Paltrows, Fondas, Douglas’, Roberts, and others who reign over Hollywood—Will and Jada Pinkett Smith being the worst of the lot—nepotism is alive and well. And let’s not forget Jay-Z’s recent blatant display by putting his newborn’s cries on his new song, which made Blue Ivy the youngest artist to chart on the Billboard Charts. Someone better start recording sonogram heartbeats ASAP if you’re even gonna attempt to out do that. Conception might even be a viable option…

As with any other field, the arts are fraught with varying degrees of nepotism on a wide scale, here are 15 examples.

What do you get when your great grandparents are French aristocrats who were heirs to fortunes based in textiles and oil drilling equipment and founded the groundbreaking Menil Collection in Houston; a revolutionary museum designed by Renzo Piano to house their collection of over 15,000 works of art from Magritte, Ernst, Man Ray, Duchamp, Matisse, Picasso, Pollock, Rothko and more? Three things. 1) Celebrity relations via Uma Thurman. 2) A chance to date an Olsen twin (Mary-Kate). 3) A flourishing but artistically underwhelming art career; minimum effort, maximum output. Maxwell Snow, brother of artist Dash Snow (1981-2009) is the great grandson of the de Menil’s and an artist. He made a name for himself in 2006 when he first stepped out with Mary-Kate Olsen, and artistically in June 2008 at the now defunct New York City gallery, Moeller Snow, which he owned with his cousin by marriage, Karline Moeller. Nothing like throwing yourself a party… Since then he has been showing his installations and photographs at various galleries in New York, Russia, Amsterdam, and Berlin while appearance wise, slowly morphing into his brother Dash. His 2010 show at The Johnson Trading Gallery, was entitled, Jesus Is Showing Me Amazing Things. Unfortunately, the show and Snow has yet to show me anything amazing.

A case of reverse nepotism. When Sy Colen participated on the reality TV show, Artstar with Jeffrey Deitch, he said, “This is my opportunity. I want people to see my art. I’ve lived alone with my art – in the basement.” Fortunately, son Dan doesn’t seem to have a problem with that. He’s shown at Deitch Projects, Gagosian Gallery, and Peres Projects just to name a few, and it doesn’t hurt that one of his closest friends and former roommate is the highly lauded photographer, Ryan McGinley. And though Dan’s “low-cultural ephemera, graffiti-inspired paintings” seem attempt to convey the awe of a Pollock or a Miro, it lacks the hidden details that slowly reveal themselves through simple observation and the explosive nature those masterpieces embody. But it has potential…

Julian Schnabel, the pajama wearing American artist, is a better filmmaker than he ever was a painter. So I consider it a godsend that his son Vito has opted not to become an artist himself. Instead he deals and represents the likes of Theo A. Rosenblum, René Ricard, Vahkn Arslanian, Terence Koh, Dustin Yellin and Ron Gorchov. And since daddy dearest and son don’t see eye to eye on the arts, we can all breathe a sigh of relief, as patriarch Schnabel never had much taste when it came to the canvas. Viva Vito.

When your mother is the daughter and granddaughter of Ukrainian film producers, a former model, stylist, muse and consultant to Tom Ford, and the former Editor in Chief of Paris Vogue, and your father is… married to your mother, it’s not surprising that whatever you decide to do that pertains to fashion or the arts, you’ll succeed with flying colors. Vladmir is a curator. In 2009, Louis Vuitton contributed $50,000 for his first exhibition, which featured the works of three of his friends. Since then he’s worked with Armani and artists Retna and Richard Hambleton, a step up from the nameless trio of 2009. Julia is an art director, photographer, and model for brands such as Lancome and Tom Ford. She’s worked with Max Mara, Mark Fast, Jean Paul Gaultier, on Eddie Borgo’s look book which features other Vogue editors, styled and photographed herself and her baby daddy, and plenty of other clients who have all bought ad space in Paris Vogue at one point or another. Is the force of Carine strong in this one or is the force of Carine just strong?

Paul Auster is an American author of unconventional and niche detective stories that have made him popular in contemporary literature. His daughter Sophie is interested in music and acting. So when at 16 she expressed an interest in pursuing a music career, her father made use of his connections by contacting Michael Heart and Joshua Camp from One Ring Zero, which led to her first album. She also ended up on the cover of Spanish Rolling Stone, which is tantamount to George Hamilton gracing the cover of Parade or Whoopi Goldberg on AARP.

Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola is the man behind some of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of our time. From the Oscar winning The Godfather to Apocalypse Now, and even Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Coppola has managed to keep us intrigued, interested, and a tad bit annoyed. And all the while as he spun his movie magic, he’s launched the careers of those around him.

His nephew Jason Schwartzman, son of Coppola’s sister Talia Shire (Rocky), got his big break when he was 17 when he was cast as the star in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore with no prior acting experience. He was brill. Since then he has been in several films, including a few of Anderson’s as well as Marie Antoinette directed by his cousin, Sofia, and currently stars in HBO’s (cancelled) series Bored to Death.

Nicolas Cage, aka “My Guilty Pleasure” is Coppola’s nephew via his brother. He changed his name to Cage to avoid the appearance of nepotism, and even lost out the role of Dallas Winston when he auditioned for Coppola’s film The Outsiders to Matt Dillon. But not to worry because Coppola cast Cage in Peggy Sue Got Married and Rumble Fish. Cage proved himself a formidable actor with his performances in Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, and Adaptation, but has managed to bury many of these wonderful acting memories under bad hairpieces, strange period roles, and Disney films.

The only daughter of Coppola, Sofia is often cited as a career based upon nepotism. She appeared in seven of Coppola’s films with the most notable being the role of Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III, which she took over when Winona Ryder fell ill. Blessing in disguise? Panned for her performance, Sofia abandoned acting and saved us from seeing her work in front of the camera. She is now safely hidden behind the lens as a director and screenwriter of slow, somewhat boring, and narcissistic works such as Lost in Translation (thank goodness for Bill Murray), Marie Antoinette and Somewhere.

Futura is one of the forefathers of the New York City graffiti scene with worldwide appeal and recognition among the street culture set and beyond. He’s worked with The Clash, painting live on stage during their performances, exhibited with Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton and Kenny Scharf at Patty Astor’s Gallery, brought an abstract approach to street art, and has worked with a multitude of companies ranging from Mo’Wax to Nike. So if you just happen to be the son of Futura, it’s no surprise that you’d find yourself immersed into a world of art and graffiti at a young age. 13thWitness has made a name for himself through his photography, music videos, and working with companies such as Nike. Unfortunately, he’s also worked with John Mayer, and it’s going to take a very long time before I can wipe that away from my cerebral cortex.

Co-founder of the Cubist movement, co-inventor of the collage, and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso is a true polymath. For his children to even try to compete with him or his legacy on any artistic level would be suicidal unless aided by magical unicorn tears and a super advanced alien brain with psychic abilities. Paloma, the youngest daughter of Picasso and painter/writer Francoise Gilot -- famous for her father’s paintings of her as a child -- opted to stay away from art and focused on fashion design and business. Best known for her jewelry designs for Tiffany & Co. as well as YSL, she even had a perfume created by her and produced by L’Oreal simply named “Paloma.”

Conspiracy minded Beatlemaniacs would argue that having Paul and Stella on this list might be controversial, especially since Paul died in 1966. Or did he…? Theories claim that Paul died in 1966 and was replaced by McCartney look-alike Billy Shears to prevent mass suicides from sorrow stricken fans. Since then, his doppelganger has gone on to marry Linda McCartney and father four children, feud with Yoko Ono, and form the band Wings. All the while amassing a billion-dollar fortune. Pretty good for an understudy. Stella McCartney, daughter of Sir Paul, is a fashion designer. And what better way to kick start your career then by having your college graduation collection modeled for free by supermodels Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Kate Moss as they strut down the runway to a song written for you for your collection by your famous father, and then having the entire collection picked up by London boutique, Tokio. She gained recognition when she was appointed Creative Director for Paris fashion house Chloé, following Lagerfeld’s departure where she enjoyed critical success. But her reign was slightly tainted by whispers that her assistant and friend Phoebe Philo (now at Celine) had done most of the work. McCartney soon left to start her own eponymous brand via Gucci, proving her skills as a designer, and has been lapping up the fashion limelight and dollars ever since.

Albert and his brother David are the fathers of “reactive” documentary filmmaking in America. From Salesman to cult classic Grey Gardens to Gimme Shelter, the Maysles brothers brought real life to life on the big screen. Though David passed in 1987 from a stroke, Albert has remained diligent to their craft and continues to focus on his filmmaking in New York City. He heads the Maysles Institute in Harlem with his son Philip, an artist and filmmaker, which provides enrichment to the neighborhood with its unique and distinctive film programming and mentoring courses. Sara and Rebekah Maysles collaborated with their father on the companion book for Grey Gardens the film, and have worked on various projects with Anthropology and other companies showcasing their illustrations and unique collage styles. They all spend time aiding their father at the Maysles Institute.

Pierre Le Tan made a name for himself as an illustrator for the New Yorker when he started at the age of 18 in 1968. Since then he’s contributed to Vogue, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, worked with designers such as Chanel, Coach, Cartier, Rolex, and has authored and illustrated several books. His daughter Olympia Le-Tan started out on the fast track as well at 19 working with Karl Lagerfeld in the design studio of Chanel. From there she met and collaborated with Gilles Dufour, and soon began multi-hypenating herself by become a DJ, music coordinator, and bag designer, her biggest gig to date. Famous for her felted creations on minaudières or handbags/clutches, in February 2010 Le-Tan became embroiled in a battle over “who did it first” as she accused Kate Spade of stealing her idea of clutches which feature artworks originally found on first edition book covers. But if Le-Tan is copying artwork from her father’s collection of first editions and Spade is copying artwork from other books, is this a chicken or the egg scenario? A copy is a copy is a copy. Who copied what first and can you copy once it’s copied? I guess all’s fair in love and fashion ducky, once you get copyrights cleared.

Chilean filmmaker, actor, playwright, former mime/clown, and a mystical and spiritual guru, Alejandro Jodorowsky is an avant-garde cult film loving, fan of surrealism’s dream come true. Who wouldn’t love a man who mimed with Etienne Decroux and the ingenious Marcel Marceau? WHO?? His son Adan who goes by the moniker Adanowsky is an actor and musician. He got his start acting in his father’s film Santa Sangre and won the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in 1989 as the role of Young Fenix. A role worthy of a win. As for his foray into music, I’m sure the dance lessons from James Brown and his first guitar lessons from Beatle and family friend George Harrison had little to no impact...

Sure his father is the former art director of Vogue and Founder/Editor in Chief of i-D Magazine, and he shot his first i-D Magazine cover when he was twenty, but that doesn’t mean that Matt Jones’ only shoots i-D covers. Come now, he’s only shot 11…so far. But he’s also photographed for Paris Vogue, Harpers’ Bazaar, Elle Italy, Life, Elle Paris, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, and clients like Yohji Yamamoto Adidas, and Barneys New York so I guess that makes the nepotism seem less conspicuous, right?

Wim Crouwel is the grand seigneur of Dutch graphic design and typography. As one of the founders of the design studio Total Design NV, now known as Total Identity, he helped create the identity for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, designed the typefaces The New Alphabet — which was used on the Joy Division’s album cover for Substance — Fodor and Gridnik, and also designed the famous Number Postage Stamps for the Dutch Postal Service.

Though Mels grew up living in a glass boat designed by his father, filled with furniture designed by his father, and hanging out with his father’s friends, he knew that he wanted to be an architect and not follow in his father’s footsteps. “He did very well, which made it hard.” (Wim’s other son became a designer but didn’t use the family name.) In a nice little continuum, Mels is currently working on designing the new Stedelijk Museum, which his father made famous. He focuses on keeping the balance of the old museum while incorporating in the new, working to apply new things only if they’re better and not focusing just on the look. And yes, he discusses things with his father but only the results, never the process.

N.C. Wyeth was one of the greatest American painters/illustrators of his time. A former pupil of artist Howard Pyle, he focused on a realist style of painting that was both moody and magnificent, putting him in high demand. This allowed him to provide a comfortable and creatively charged environment for his family to thrive in. Though all his children are talented and highly regarded artists in their own right, with the exception of Nathaniel, an engineer who helped invented the plastic soda bottle; his youngest son Andrew was the star. He spent a great deal of time with his father who schooled him at home due to his sickly childhood and was immersed in his world of art and thinking. Andrew made a name for himself following his father’s style of realist painting, and cemented his place in American painting history with his famous works Christina’s World (1948) and the Helga Pictures series. In 1991, National Geographic, did a cover feature on N.C. and Andrew, showcasing their works and the history of the Wyeths.