Have you heard the rumors that Jerry Saltz, Senior Art Critic for New York Magazine and judge on the hit Bravo series Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, is coming to speak at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis? Well you’re in luck, because those rumors are true. Saltz will be our sixth Susan Sherman Annual Distinguished Speaker and will give a free public talk at the Contemporary on Wednesday, October 6 at 7:00 pm. The title of his talk will be, “The Good, the Bad, and the Very Bad: A Year in the Life of an Art Critic.” Trust me when I say that you do not want to miss this one.

An energetic and persuasive voice in the art world for over two decades, Jerry Saltz was named “Best Art Critic” by Time Out New York in 2006 and he is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist in Criticism. Throughout his career, Saltz has articulated his options by writing for a number of well known publications including Village Voice, where he reigned as Senior Art Critic from 1998 to 2007, Frieze, Modern Painters, and Art in America to name a few. However, most recently, he’s been busy as a judge on Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. Check out this clip of Jerry explaining his point of view of art criticism and sharing some personal thoughts:

Jerry Saltz – Work of Art

Okay, so now you’re excited… you’re planning on attending Jerry’s talk… but it’s still more than two months away! We feel your pain, and that is why we are showing a marathon screening of all 9 episodes of Bravo’s Work of Art: The Next Great Artist on Wednesday, August 11 starting at 2pm, with the finale airing live at 9pm! Come join us and enjoy free beer & popcorn! If you can’t make the whole day, stop by for the finale. It’s sure to be a very fun day, and is the perfect way to build even more excitement for Jerry’s trip to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

We can’t wait to see you at the Contemporary, and Jerry, we are anxiously awaiting your talk!