Art Sense

A conversation with artist Ilana Savdie. Ilana makes brightly-colored, large-scale paintings and drawings that are obviously abstract while concealing figurative forms that explore topics of identity, power-dynamics and the imperfection of the human body as a vessel. In the discussion, Ilana shares insights on her creative process, the influence of her childhood in Baranquilla, Colombia, her uniqu...

A conversation with art world icon Simon de Pury. Simon is an art dealer, curator, artist, photographer and even a DJ, but he is most notably an auctioneer. After rising to the top of the Sotheby’s organization, he left to strike out on his own. That led to an eventual merger of his auction house with Phillips to form Phillips de Pury. These days, Simon runs the eponymous de PURY organization whic...

A conversation with Ann Temkin, the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Our conversation focuses on MoMA’s current exhibit “Matisse: The Red Studio” which revolves around the iconic painting of the same name that has been an integral part of MoMA’s collection since 1949. Ann spent more than four years researching, writing ab...

A conversation with Ali Gass who is the Krieger Family Director of the new Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. In our conversation, Ali discusses how the ICASF got off the ground, the programming vision for the institution, the benefits of being a non-collecting museum and the hurdles that lie ahead.

As a midweek bonus for listeners, we have a recording of Craig's panel discussion from NFT.NYC 2022 titled "The Bridge Between Traditional Art and NFT Art". The discussion was moderated by art advisor Nina Kong-Surtees and in addition to Craig, the panelists included artist Mary Lai and Known Origin Co-Founder David Moore. As a heads up, there is a three minute period about fifteen minutes in wher...

A conversation with documentary film producer Debi Wisch about her latest project “The Art of Making It”. Debi (who also produced 2018’s “The Price of Everything”) discusses analyzing the art world again from the perspective of the emerging artist. She is a long-time advocate for the arts who serves on the advisory boards of the Cantor Art Museum at Stanford University and Hunter College’s Arts Ad...

Another hour in conversation with artist Sarah Morris. Sarah was first on the program for Episode 51. In that conversation, we spent the hour trying to get inside the head of the noted painter and filmmaker. In contrast, this episode's conversation is more story time. Sarah shares a number of stories from the span of her career, including her entry into the New York art scene in the late 80s, her...

The third in a series featuring conversations that took place recently at and around the world’s largest NFT conference - NFT.NYC. This episode features a discussion with art market economist, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author Magnus Resch. At the age of 20, Magnus co-ran an art gallery in Switzerland to finance his university career. He later created a number of ventures that leveraged t...

A discussion with the unique and unparalleled Kenny Schachter. Kenny has been curating contemporary art exhibits in museums and galleries and teaching art history and economics at some of the top art schools for nearly 30 years. He is an obsessive collector with a home busting at the seams with renowned works and more in storage on multiple continents. Schachter has a “no nonsense” writing style t...

The first in a series of discussions that took place recently at and around the world’s largest NFT conference - NFT.NYC. A conversation with artist, author and collector Anne Spalter. Anne’s artwork combines traditional mark-making, digital tools and a collection of symbols to produce work that is highly collected. Her large-scale public art installations are in high demand, with one living in Ne...

A discussion with art critic Ben Davis about his new book "Art in the After-Culture: Capitalist Crisis and Cultural Strategy". In the book, Davis (whose day job is National Art Critic for Artnet News) presents a number of essays that comment on the future of culture, politics, and capitalism through the lens of the art world. What does the future look like?

A discussion with artist Sarah Morris. Morris’s films and paintings try to capture the way in which we conceptualize the physical space of locations, while trying to reconcile our imaginations and the reality of navigation. Her works are in the collections of nearly every major contemporary museum and this coming year will see major retrospectives in both Germany and Japan.

A discussion with artist Lauren Quin. Quin is an abstract painter that builds paintings known for their vibrant colors and layer upon layer of mark making. In the conversation, we discuss her multistage process, her pursuit of intense colors, her love of Los Angeles and the meaning behind the name of her new show at Blum & Poe.

A discussion with beloved New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz. Formerly the senior art critic for The Village Voice, Jerry won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2018 for an article titled “My Life as a Failed Artist” in which he revealed childhood trauma, his life as an aspiring artist in the 70s and the circuitous path that led him to long-haul truck driving before eventually finding his p...

A discussion with artist Christiane Lyons. In her ongoing series “Some Women”, she explores, by distorting the female body, the cycle of women’s objectification throughout art history and culture while at the same time, attempting to break this cycle by imbuing the figures with subjectivity. One of her paintings from this series is included in the “Women Painting Women” exhibition currently on dis...

A discussion with photographer Bonnie Schiffman. Bonnie spent decades specializing in portraits of actors, directors, musicians and comedians for some of the nation’s most popular publications, particularly Rolling Stone magazine. In the episode, she discusses her improvised shooting style, her ability to capture an honest image, her favorite celebrities and her expansion into NFTs.

A discussion with Miranda Metcalf, founder and host of “Hello, Print Friend”, a podcast with over 130 episodes dedicated to the celebration and amplification of printmaking and its culture. In our conversation Miranda provides a historical context for printmaking, its advances, the culture around the medium and advice for the aspiring collector.

A discussion with Andrea Karnes, Chief Curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The museum will be debuting a new group exhibit later this month titled “Women Painting Women”. The show brings together more than forty female painters, including giants like Alice Neel and Faith Ringgold, mid-career artists like Jenny Saville and Amy Sherald, as well as up-and-coming female artists we should b...

A discussion with author Ann Marks regarding her new book “Vivian Maier Developed”. Vivian Maier became an overnight sensation when over 140,000 professional quality photographs by Maier were found in abandoned storage units throughout Chicago. Documentaries from Netflix and the BBC followed with the common theme of trying to assemble a portrait of the very private and very quirky nanny who happen...

A discussion with artist Barry X Ball. His work utilizes the latest advances in 3D imaging, stone cutting and robotic milling to create breathtaking sculptures that are in conversation with art history. The hand-finished sculptures are known for their use of unique varieties of stone from around the world, as well as their meticulous craftsmanship. The results are captivating. https://www.barryxba...

A conversation with artist Keith Tyson. Tyson has become known for a highly diverse body of work which includes drawing, painting, installation and sculpture. He is interested in how art emerges from the combination of information systems and physical processes that surround us everyday. This has resulted in explorations that include daily responses to his surroundings, artistic representations of...

A discussion with author and photographer Daniel Efram about his latest project “The Steve Keene Art Book”. The work documents the lifestyle, motivation and paintings of Steve Keene, one of the world’s most prolific artists who has sold or given away more than 300,000 paintings in his career. Guest essays by the likes of Shepard Fairey and Ryan McGinness are interspersed with photos by Efram that...

A discussion with artist Alvaro Barrington. Barrington is a London-based painter who uses a variety of materials in the production of his visionary art. His work takes on many forms, but always strives for cultural authenticity. In the conversation we talk about his influences, his worldview and his latest show up now through April 30th at Blum and Poe in LA. https://www.blumandpoe.com/artists/alv...

01:25 - A discussion with Ileen Gallagher, the event producer who has worked with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat to create an immersive experience that introduces viewers to the iconic artist from the perspective of his family. Interviews with Basquiat’s younger sisters Jeanine and Lisane, his stepmother Nora and a variety of friends are interspersed with personal effects and mementos that he...

Artist, podcaster and author Brian Alfred discusses his new book "Why I Make Art: Contemporary Artists' Stories About Life and Work" which is inspired by more than 300 episodes of his podcast "Sound & Vision". Brian also has an exhibition of new paintings opening this week at Miles McEnery in New York. Brian shares insights about the new book, his new paintings and what makes him tick.