Honoring a Life: RIP Peter Schjeldahl

Quite a loss - My thoughts on Peter Schjeldahl from April 2005
Speed of Life: Peter Schjeldahl at SFMOMA https://t.co/1gKhLJMePZ pic.twitter.com/C6oO1Mm6h3

— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) October 21, 2022

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."