Art Historians Discuss Making Versus Writing at New York Studio School Panel

On February 12, 2013, the New York Studio School hosted a panel featuring art historians Svetlana Alpers, David Rosand, and Robert Storr, who discussed the interplay between art creation and its criticism. David Cohen, an art critic, moderated the discussion, which aligned with the College Art Association's annual convention at the Hilton Hotel from February 13 to 16. Alpers, a UC Berkeley professor emerita recognized for her research on Rembrandt and Rubens, worked with James Hyde and Barney Kulok on a 2007 photographic project, Painting Then For Now, which included elements from a G.B. Tiepolo painting at the Metropolitan Museum. This series was later added to the Museum of Modern Art's collection and reviewed by David Carrier for artcritical. Rosand, a Columbia University professor emeritus, is known for his studies on Venetian art and Robert Motherwell, while Storr, Dean of Yale's School of Art and former MoMA curator from 1990 to 2002, balanced his education at Swarthmore and the Art Institute of Chicago with studio work. The panel examined the historical divide between art-making and writing, the influence of studio practice on criticism, and the merging of theory and practice in today’s post-studio context. This event coincided with the exhibition of Leo Steinberg's drawings, The Eye is Part of the Mind, available at the Studio School until March 9.