The Big Picture

This informed and witty but finally unsatisfying spoof of the New York art scene offers vivid characters who initially clamor for attention but then are left to flounder. Egomaniacal and callous manipulative Swiss art collector Emil Papier commands a fortune that lets him buy, squeeze dry and discard talented people. His pet property is his mistress, Susannah, the blonde waif he rescued from a stifling Tennessee childhood to make clear what he rescued her from 19 years earlier but refused to wed. Susannah enjoys a a hit-and-run affair with ``heavy-metal sculptor'' Dansentence ok? ; their relationship's consummation in subways and fancy ladies' rooms seems to serve as little more than an authorial gadget to spice up the story. Other key players include a British-born auction house flunky hired by Emil to spy on anonymous bidders, and a waitress who supports and lives in quaint squalor with her adored but untalented painter-husband.nb: I am attempting to shorten these reviews; you will see various places where I've made further revisions, so please scan all of them again. sss Drucker ( Winner Takes All ) fails to follow through with these promising personalities, cluttering her tale with minor characters and eventually with tedious satirical references to such timely topics as excremental art, inflated pricing, critical hype of mediocre work and the fury over government arts funding. (May)