Is new art always the best?

Looking at Art:

Juried competitions for exhibition entry almost always require artwork that has been created in the last two or three years. Is this fair? Is the most recent work by an artist always their best work? I recall seeing the later works of Willem de Kooning in an exhibition in NYC. The early works that were colorful and wild had captivated me, but these late works seemed to have lost that kind of power, yet they were being showcased in a major museum. Was it the artist’s name that got them there or were they his best work?

 Work in the Studio:

The sculpture shown here was made a long time ago, but it remains one of my favorites. Based on a story from the bible about Lot,s wife, I wanted to use the figure to convey beauty while expressing the torturous message in the text. The piece is small, but I was pleased with the way the figure and the column of salt merged into one shape. I don’t consider early work less successful than my most recent pieces. What do you think?

Lot’s Wife, Ceramic Sculpture, 8” x 5” x 3”