Coming Sept 23: For more than 35 years, accusations of murder shrouded one of the art world’s most storied couples: Was the famous sculptor Carl Andre involved in the death of his up-and-coming artist wife Ana Mendieta? Host Helen Molesworth revisits Mendieta’s death and the trial that followed, and interrogates both the silence and the protest that have accompanied this story ever since. To hear the whole season early and ad-free, consider becoming a Pushkin+ subscriber in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Death of an Artist is a co-production between Pushkin Industries, Somethin’ Else, and Sony Music Entertainment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1980s Manhattan, a young Cuban artist named Ana Mendieta made a name for herself as a rising star in the art world. Her turbulent marriage to the older and well-established sculptor Carl Andre raised eyebrows. One September night, Carl called 911 in a panic. His wife, he said, “went out the window.” To hear the rest of Season 1 ad-free, sign up for Pushkin+ on the Death of an Artist show page in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Following Ana’s death, police take Carl in for questioning. He has scratches on his face. His story is inconsistent, yet he maintains his innocence. In this episode, we rewind and take a look back at Carl’s history and his relationship with Ana and try to understand what led to that night. To hear the rest of Season 1 ad-free, sign up for Pushkin+ on the Death of an Artist show page in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ana’s art engaged with her identity as a Cuban female artist. She worked hard to be recognized in a world dominated by white men. After her death, Ana’s friends and family demand an investigation. Many of the most powerful members of the art world dismiss them as a “feminist cabal.” To hear the rest of Season 1 ad-free, sign up for Pushkin+ on the Death of an Artist show page in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Carl stands trial for the murder of Ana Mendieta. His defense ruthlessly attacks Ana, using her artwork against her, and rests heavily on his prestige in the art world. Helen reveals her personal connection to Carl Andre and his work, and how it changed her career. To hear the rest of Season 1 ad-free, sign up for Pushkin+ on the Death of an Artist show page in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Carl Andre is acquitted. Decades later, the art world remains divided about his innocence. In order to protect Carl, the art world maintained a strict separation between the art and the artist and used silence to preserve the status quo. But a few remain vocal. To hear the rest of Season 1 ad-free, sign up for Pushkin+ on the Death of an Artist show page in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today, Carl Andre lives in the same apartment where Ana fell to her death. Helen investigates and grapples with what his not guilty verdict means and chips away at the silence the art world has used to protect both Andre and itself. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the wake of the #metoo and Black Lives Matter movements, art museums began publicly touting their dedication to diversity. In this episode, we hear from two arts journalists about whether there are actually more artworks by women and people of color on the walls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A live audience and curator Patricia Margarita Hernandez join Helen at the A.I.R. gallery in this epilogue to the series. The conversation moves from generational shifts in the artworld to Helen’s own Robin Hood fantasy – and ends with some pushback from an audience member who knew Ana.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On May 17th, Death of an Artist returns with an all new season hosted by Katy Hessel about the woman who made the modern art world: Lee Krasner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1956. Paris. An artist named Lee Krasner learns that her husband is dead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1936. Brooklyn. A young Lee Krasner leaves home and starts to create a kind of art America has never seen before.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1942. Midtown. Peggy Guggenheim arrives, opens a gallery and gives hungry artists hope.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1945. East Hampton. Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock start a new life in a farmhouse 100 miles east of New York City.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1955. Upper West Side. Jackson Pollock seeks help from a psychotherapist practicing controversial methods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1956. New York City. After Pollock’s death, Krasner balances her new role as executor of his estate and her ambitions to continue making art.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Katy speaks with Eleanor Nairne, who first introduced her to Lee Kranser’s work. Back in 2019, Nairne exhibited a groundbreaking retrospective of Lee Krasner’s work while she was senior curator at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. Today she is the Keith L. and Catherine Sacks Curator and Head of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In this episode, a dive into Krasner’s artistic career. Artwork Discussed: Joan Miro Constellations (1940-41) Mosaic Table (1947) Stop and Go (1949) Prophecy (1956) Birth (1956) Three in Two (1956) Pablo Picasso Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) Earth Green (1957)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the beautiful mountain town of Idyllwild, a wealthy widow named Dia Abrams suddenly vanishes from her home. She leaves behind her idyllic ranch, estranged children and a messy legal battle. Two men in her life, her son and a man who claims to be her fiance, launch public campaigns to find her. But soon, their efforts – and stories – begin to unravel. Enjoy this preview from Where's Dia? A new podcast from Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Artist, musician and writer Audrey Flack shares her firsthand accounts of the downtown New York City art scene in the mid-twentieth-century and a song she and her band, The History of Art, wrote about Jackson Pollock. Flack passed away in June. For more about her life, see “Audrey Flack, Creator of Vibrant Photorealist Art, Dies at 93.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ID19653624
Even as a person who knows nothing about art or the art world, I enjoyed this podcast immensely. I enjoyed the story but I especially enjoyed the vulnerability of the host and her sharing of her feelings and emotions.
Samantha Earnshaw
This was such an excellent, thought - provoking and flowed with such intentionality to remember this beautiful artist. It is so interesting that I have seen pictures of Mendieta's works and was moved by them, but never knew much about her. Thank you for this.
Olga Koleshchuk
Interesting podcast, but a very disappointing ending. These women protested, they hashtagged him, they pitifully cried at his exhibit, yet no one confronted him face to face, no one did anything to force him to admit to it, it's all so passive-aggressive and pathetic. The last episode is a real bummer, makes me feel useless.
me me
would you go to a Bill Cosby show, play a Rolf Harris song, or watch OJ do his thing? Then why go to this pricks exhibitions? You can't separate the person from their work as the above examples attest. If you do, in my humble point of view, you condone what he/ they have done.
Ryan Phillips
I wouldn't say the art world's a closed world I'll say it's a world filled with spineless fake pathetic weak weak-minded individuals including the maker of this podcast who is as jellyfish of a spine as anyone I've ever heard