a_sweeper-up_after_artists-a_memoir

by Irving Sandler

"A fine, firsthand appreciation of the accomplishments, antagonisms, foibles, and failings of the hosts that made the scene that Sandler has spent his life chronicling and celebrating." ― Artforum For over fifty years Irving Sandler has been a vital presence in the New York art world. Frank O'Hara called him, in a memorable poem, "the balayeur des artistes," the sweeper-up after artists. He has been a friend or acquaintance of virtually every important American artist of the postwar period, and his art criticism and books constitute the first and most comprehensive critical and historical account of this extraordinary period. His personal chronicle is the living memory of the New York art world, from abstract expressionism to the present day. 34 illustrations

Genres: Art, Memoir, Biography

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Irving Sandler was an American art critic, art historian, and educator.

Reviews

[Rob Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice surprise; a memoir by one of my favorite college professors, who was (and is) at the center of the New York art world from the early 1950s onwards. His close friendships with many canonical artists, particularly in Abstract Expressionism, yield a closely observed and intimate portrait of the scene, as well as an insightful critique. I came away from reading this with a new appreciation for mid-century New York School painting, and feel I will reenter those galleries at MOMA with a fresh eye. I enjoyed his mix of the personal, the anecdotal and the critical, which was refreshingly jargon-free and accessible even to the layman, often amusing, and always insightful. A great read for anyone interested in post-WWII American art, and its evolving critical, institutional, and public reception.