Honoring a Life: RIP Peter Schjeldahl

In 2005, during the Q&A after a lecture at SFMOMA, I asked Peter Schjeldahl about the place of beauty in contemporary art. Peter leaned forward and spoke from the heart." This is an important, if not controversial, question that I write about often. In the 60s and 70s in academia it was the forbidden word. A group of art historians could look up at the blue sky and and declare it a beautiful day on their way to a conference on contemporary art. But once in the doors of the conference room, beauty ceased to exist." Peter concluded by stating, "Art does not have to address beauty- to reach for beauty. But it sure is great if it does."

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