I had the, incredible, good fortune of studying with Peter Saul as an undergraduate.
Peter Saul is being given his due, belatedly, at the age of 80. The American artist, whose pictures are crude and cartoonish yet steeped in the tradition of classic historical painting, has a new show From Pop to Punk at Adam Lindemann’s New York gallery Venus over Manhattan; the exhibition features Saul’s work from the 1960s and 70s. It follows several recent US retrospectives after decades of under-appreciation. The pictures in the show are from the collection of late art dealer Allan Frumkin and include The Government of California, a 1969 rendering of Ronald Reagan flanked by references to the War on Drugs and the Bank of America, foreshadowing his presidency, as well as Saul’s controversial depiction of political activist Andrea Davis being crucified. Phaidon.com spoke with Saul about art in his ninth decade….