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‘Work of Art’ recap: A surprise winner

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‘Work of Art’ on Bravo concluded its second season on Wednesday, with the three remaining contestants squaring off in competing gallery shows. In a season that featured little drama and even less excitement, the series saved its biggest bombshell for the very end when it crowned a surprise winner.

Most of Wednesday’s episode was given over to biographical sketches of the three finalists. Simon de Pury paid visits to each of them in their homes to give a final mentoring session and pep talk. Young, who lives in Chicago, introduced his boyfriend and mother before revealing his planned exhibition, which failed to impress De Pury.

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Kymia, the high-strung one inclined to waterworks that would rival Versailles, gave a tour of her New York apartment where she lives with her boyfriend. Kymia’s gallery pieces also disappointed De Pury, causing her eyes to well-up with tears.

In Brooklyn, Sara revealed her works that were inspired by secrets scribbled on paper by passers-by on the street.

Serving as guest judge on this final round was KAWS, the New York artist and designer whose signature pieces are large-scale riffs on the cartoon world.

(Spoiler alert: Stop reading now if you don’t want to know who won the season.)

The judges expressed admiration all around for the gallery shows. Even critic Jerry Saltz kept his usually snide persona in check for what must have been sentimental reasons. Sara was the first to be sent packing. Her installation, featuring sculpture, performance and other eclectic pieces, was deemed creative but somewhat too disjointed.

In the end, the judges chose Kymia over the favorite Young. Both of their installations dealt with the loss of a father and were weighty in tone. Kymia not only receives a $100,000 prize, but also a show at the Brooklyn Museum and other goodies.

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Will there be a third season of ‘Work of Art’? It’s too early to say, but judging from this season -- yawn -- the producers face something of an uphill battle.

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--David Ng

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