About Peter Schjeldahl

 Peter Schjeldahl is dying.

 

You have probably never heard of him unless you read The New Yorker or live in that weird place known as the art world. He is the art critic for The New Yorker, and widely considered to be the best art critic of our time. I have known of him for 30 years, and have met him a handful of times. He is not the chummy sort with us mere publicists, but he is always unfailingly friendly and courtly. And if you read Steve Martin's novel about the art world, Schjeldahl's cameo in the book is spot on perfect.

 

Peter wrote a long, rambling, heartbreaking, beautiful reminiscence for the new issue of The New Yorker. It's a bit of a rough sled, but it really gives a good glimpse into the critic everyone knows and the person I suspect few of us suspected was there all along.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/23/the-art-of-dying

 

I doubt I will meet Peter again. The exhibitions coming up at my museum don't seem like his sort of thing, even if he has the strength to make a visit. But I am glad that I got to meet him and that there has has been at least one art critic of his caliber in my world and our world. I hope that your last days are comfortable, Peter, and that you find one last work of transcending beauty before you go.