Lost Tenenbaum Child Shown the Door at Yale

by Andrew Martin | July 8, 2008 at 2:23 pm

In a story sure to provoke equal parts sympathy and schadenfreude among the Wes Anderson loving, art-school rejected smart set, the New Haven Register is reporting that Annabel Osberg, a 19 year old painting prodigy, has been dismissed from Yale’s prestigious graduate program in art.

Osberg, who has the looks and skill set of Margot and Richie Tenenbaum’s (adopted!) incestuous love affair, graduated from California State University at San Bernadino at age 18 and spent a year in the Yale MFA program before being dropped for an apparent lack of maturity. Apparently, someone realized that the TEENAGER in the YALE GRADUATE PROGRAM was immature only AFTER collecting her $52,000 for the year. They do say money changes people.

Osberg sounds surprised that the teachers and administrators at Yale are unfeeling bastards:

“In my previous educational experience, the teachers (at Cal State) were very helpful and I expected it to be that way at Yale. In reality, their actions indicated that they are not concerned about their students, only about their own reputation,” Osberg said.

She said two top Yale administrators, meeting with her in April, “indicated that they believed that I was too young to receive an MFA. Several times, they emphasized the fact that I would only be 20 when receiving my terminal degree and challenged me to think about what I would do with a terminal degree at such a young age.

So: unfairly wronged or just not ready for primetime? A sampling of the precocious artist’s work after the jump.

 
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  • Tully

    Question: Is the portrait of the Girl surrounded by paintings a photo or a painting? I can’t really tell. If it is a painting, give this girl her MFA. Otherwise don’t. The last three seem ok, but not great. Certainly not self-induced abortion blood mural great.

  • Tully

    Question: Is the portrait of the Girl surrounded by paintings a photo or a painting? I can’t really tell. If it is a painting, give this girl her MFA. Otherwise don’t. The last three seem ok, but not great. Certainly not self-induced abortion blood mural great.

  • Hahvahd12

    How can you get dropped for lack of maturity? Is that even legal? I mean, they accepted her, she works for a year, and then their like, “oh, you’re sorta young, toodles!”
    It seems like faking multiple abortions for the sake of “art” is pretty immature, but that chick graduated.

  • Hahvahd12

    How can you get dropped for lack of maturity? Is that even legal? I mean, they accepted her, she works for a year, and then their like, “oh, you’re sorta young, toodles!”
    It seems like faking multiple abortions for the sake of “art” is pretty immature, but that chick graduated.

  • Y11

    If immaturity were a legit reason to drop students, half the Yale college population would be expelled… so I’m PRETTY sure there was something else at work here. Faking multiple abortions isn’t immature, it’s simply psychotic… but granted, that seems like a fair reason too. Knowing Shvartz’s tendency to go back on her word, though, the last thing the admins wanted was a lawsuit. You would think this should have merited the same reaction.

    The point is, I don’t trust the Register and am sure the girl is just dissing the school Deresiewicz-style because she’s pissed. Understandably so, but nevertheless. You pay a term in advance, that’s how it works pretty much everywhere.

  • Y11

    If immaturity were a legit reason to drop students, half the Yale college population would be expelled… so I’m PRETTY sure there was something else at work here. Faking multiple abortions isn’t immature, it’s simply psychotic… but granted, that seems like a fair reason too. Knowing Shvartz’s tendency to go back on her word, though, the last thing the admins wanted was a lawsuit. You would think this should have merited the same reaction.

    The point is, I don’t trust the Register and am sure the girl is just dissing the school Deresiewicz-style because she’s pissed. Understandably so, but nevertheless. You pay a term in advance, that’s how it works pretty much everywhere.

  • Hahvahd12

    IvyGate, I’m demanding that you follow up on this story in a few weeks, I want to see what’s *really* going on here!

  • Hahvahd12

    IvyGate, I’m demanding that you follow up on this story in a few weeks, I want to see what’s *really* going on here!

  • http://www.ivygateblog.com/2008/07/prodigygate-part-iii-in-which-osberg-actually-files-a-lawsuit/ Prodigygate Part III: In Which Osberg Actually Files a Lawsuit > annabel osberg, art, guest editors, lawsuits, prodigies, Yale | IvyGate

    [...] Osberg Actually Files a Lawsuit by Mike Bechek | July 16, 2008 at 12:23 am When child art prodigy Annabel Osberg told the television last week that she was going to take Yale to court for kicking her out of its [...]

  • http://www.ivygateblog.com/2008/07/love-will-bring-us-together-yale-hosts-high-profile-christian-muslim-conference/ Love Will Bring Us Together – Yale Hosts High Profile Christian-Muslim Conference > A Common Word, guest editors, religion, Yale | IvyGate

    [...] High Profile Christian-Muslim Conference by Juli Min | July 28, 2008 at 11:55 pm Yale may enjoy throwing students out just for kicks.  But starting tomorrow and continuing till Thursday, the University Divinity School will be [...]

  • yalebait

    Yes, most Yale College students are Osberg’s age, and are immature. But they are UNDERGRADUATES.

    By “immaturity,” the school is in fact talking about her artistic ability and not her personal conduct. From what I’ve observed socially, Osberg is probably one of the most poised, quiet, mature-behaving teenage people on campus. That doesn’t mean her artwork is there yet, but she, personally, is fine.

    Osberg is a graduate student, and that is the difference – if she were an undergrad painting major, the maturity and development of her work wouldn’t be an issue (I’ve seen the undergrads’ paintings, and they are at more or less the same level. Shvarts’ controversial piece seems to be an exception both in its… well, controversy… and in its performance-based format.)

    Maybe the solution is to offer her undergraduate admission as a painting major, and let her paint where she belongs right now – in a supportive environment with the other 19 year olds!

  • yalebait

    Yes, most Yale College students are Osberg’s age, and are immature. But they are UNDERGRADUATES.

    By “immaturity,” the school is in fact talking about her artistic ability and not her personal conduct. From what I’ve observed socially, Osberg is probably one of the most poised, quiet, mature-behaving teenage people on campus. That doesn’t mean her artwork is there yet, but she, personally, is fine.

    Osberg is a graduate student, and that is the difference – if she were an undergrad painting major, the maturity and development of her work wouldn’t be an issue (I’ve seen the undergrads’ paintings, and they are at more or less the same level. Shvarts’ controversial piece seems to be an exception both in its… well, controversy… and in its performance-based format.)

    Maybe the solution is to offer her undergraduate admission as a painting major, and let her paint where she belongs right now – in a supportive environment with the other 19 year olds!

  • yalebait

    Oh yeah.. ““In my previous educational experience, the teachers (at Cal State) were very helpful and I expected it to be that way at Yale. In reality, their actions indicated that they are not concerned about their students, only about their own reputation,” Osberg said.”

    EXACTLY. That’s correct. And that is what you sign up for when you go to art school at Yale. You sign up for reputation-flinging and competitiveness and art-world finishing school, and you (or at least everyone else in your graduating class) go in knowing that. This is kind of what they mean by immature – but it’s more like, naive.

  • yalebait

    Oh yeah.. ““In my previous educational experience, the teachers (at Cal State) were very helpful and I expected it to be that way at Yale. In reality, their actions indicated that they are not concerned about their students, only about their own reputation,” Osberg said.”

    EXACTLY. That’s correct. And that is what you sign up for when you go to art school at Yale. You sign up for reputation-flinging and competitiveness and art-world finishing school, and you (or at least everyone else in your graduating class) go in knowing that. This is kind of what they mean by immature – but it’s more like, naive.

  • Anonymous

    I graduated from Yale’s MFA program, her art is really not up to par with the kind of work being produced by others -at all-. Expelling her is the right decision (I cant even believe she got in… really).

  • Anonymous

    I graduated from Yale’s MFA program, her art is really not up to par with the kind of work being produced by others -at all-. Expelling her is the right decision (I cant even believe she got in… really).

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