Kirk Varnedoe

Back in March 2003. I came to DC to visit this guy I had met in a bar in Philly (that is a short story that needs no retelling) none the less during that visit I ended up at the National Gallery and heard Kirk Varnedoe's lecture on "Why Abstract Art." For those of you that do not know...I love art history...actually could care a fuck all about history until I starting learning it through art...so, i get kinda giddy for these sorts of lectures. This lecture was AMAZING. I sat on the floor in the back listening to this man that i had never heard of talk about art from Picasso to Pollack (this was the last in a series). Varnedoe was such a great speaker…and what he was saying about abstract art hit me…I mean I like it – I do…but it is hard for me to justify or explain well it to someone who hates it or does not see the purpose of it. Varnedoe died of a brain tumor shortly after I saw him speak…they had a great story in the New Yorker about him shortly after that…he was an amazing man with real passion for art and life…really free with his life..

The National Gallery has just come out with a video and book set of all of his lectures. I have not looked to see how much this might be…Varnedoe was one of the foremost experts on post modern theory…and the way he talked about it was so straight forward…not all academic.

You can read the preface to the book: HERE it is written by A. Gopnick.

Once I had moved here I told this to my new boss at the time Anne L. Corbett. She then told me her husband Sam Sweet had Varnedoe as an advisor in grad school…small world.