Is it cool to like Mark Kostabi’s work or not? I mean, the man and his work don’t exactly command respect— his paintings are bland enough to adorn any office building wall or Reader’s Digest article, and while once upon a time, he created Guns ‘N Roses and Ramones album covers, he now proudly boasts about the commemorative statue the Vatican commissioned him to make of Pope Benedict. Browsing through his defunct advice column for ArtNet, it’s telling to watch Kostabi’s defend himself against accusations of flagrant greed and tacky self-aggrandizement by noting:

Many of history’s greatest artists had abundant self-confidence: Picasso, Caravaggio, Dalí. Just because some artists are politically correct by being selfless and humble, doesn’t mean I’m going to think they’re better than Caravaggio.