Can Art Criticism Be Done Through Interviews?

Santa Nastro argues that the interview format is not inherently uncritical, contrary to claims by art historian Michele Dantini, who compared interviewers to a talk show host passing a microphone. Nastro cites historical examples of impactful interviews: David Frost's 1977 interviews with Richard Nixon, Enzo Biagi's 1986 interview with Silvio Berlusconi, Biagi's 1988 interview with Tommaso Buscetta, Gianni Minà's interviews with Diego Maradona and Fidel Castro, and Princess Diana's 1995 BBC interview. In art history, Carla Lonzi's "Autoritratto" is a landmark book of interviews that shapes current discourse. Hans-Ulrich Obrist's "Interviews" (2003, Charta) maps contemporary art and defines his curatorial essence. Robert Storr's volume of thirty interviews (published in Italy by Il Saggiatore) offers significant art historical pages. David Sylvester's nine interviews with Francis Bacon (1962-1986) provide insight into contemporary thought and the artist. Nastro defines a good interview as requiring chemistry, empathy, active listening, and the ability to steer the conversation, making the interviewer a director rather than a mere presenter. The piece was published on Artribune in October 2023.