Robert Storr: Interviews on Art

Art critic and curator Robert Storr probes the creative genius and artistic achievements of 51 art world insiders in this illuminating collection of interviews. Arranged alphabetically by interviewee, the book includes conversations with critically acclaimed contemporary artists including Sophie Calle, Gerhard Richter, and Kara Walker and highly influential curators Harald Szeemann and Kirk Varnedoe, as well as a never-before-published interview with Louise Bourgeois. In an interview with art historian Pietropaolo, Storr delves into his own process and what motivates it: “From the reader’s point of view, I’m on the inside inviting them to come inside... from the artist’s point of view, I’m enough on the inside that they feel comfortable saying things that go beyond the bare basics granted to total outsiders.” The interviews stand testament to Storr’s privileged position as an insider and astute interlocutor who elicits responses that are provocative and revealing. In one such instance, Felix Gonzalez-Torres states that the most successful political artists are the ones whose work doesn’t look political. This invaluable collection delves deeply into many of the contemporary art world’s most dynamic minds. (Dec.)