BonusEp. 15: Tamar Avishai interviews Prudence Peiffer, Author and Content Director, MoMA

In the 1950s and 60s, Coenties Slip—an obscure street on the
lower tip of Manhattan overlooking the East River—was home
to some of the most iconic artists in history, and
who would define American Art during their time there: Robert
Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, James Rosenquist, Delphine
Seyrig, Lenore Tawney, and Jack Youngerman. As friends and
inspirations to one another, these artists created a unique
community for unbridled creative expression and experimentation.
Prudence Peiffer is the kind of art historian who understands the
importance of context and place, and her book, “The Slip: The New
York City Street that Changed American Art Forever” provides the
kind of rich context and human detail that textbooks could only
dream of. She joined me to discuss the history of these artists,
why we have such a hard time seeing artists as people, the friction
between accessible artists and their inaccessible art, why watching
Robert Indiana eat a mushroom for 39 minutes is actually totally
beautiful, and what it means to authentically nudge art history
towards inclusion. Prudence Peiffer is an art historian,
writer, and editor, specializing in modern and contemporary
art. She is Director of Content at MoMA, New York. She was a Senior
Editor at Artforum magazine from 2012-2017, and
Digital Content Director at David Zwirner in 2018. Her writing has
appeared in the New York Times, New York Review of Books,
Artforum, and Bookforum, among other publications.  Her
book, “The Slip: The New York City Street that Changed
American Art Forever” has been longlisted for the National Book
Award. See the images: https://bit.ly/3rOM7vE Music used: The Blue
Dot Session, “Skyforager” Rufus Wainwright, “11:11” Support the
show: www.patreon.com/lonelypalette