Theseus

"No editorializing takes place here. There is no fluff. Yet the two men leap from artist to artwork, from observations about narrative structure to biology to the manifestation of surfaces. It is humorous, deadly serious, and very encouraging to witness; the Apollonian and Dionysian impulses can coexist. This conversation demonstrates the joy of an intellectual and poetic exchange between two artists who share a knowledge of the deep concerns of art making in all its myriad forms."
- Excerpt from review by Matt Ballou, in NeotericArt

Legendary American painter Vincent Desiderio is known for large, complex paintings which embrace both classical representation and the intellectual history of modernism and postmodernism. Among artists, he is also well-known for his fierce engagement with the ideas and methods that animate the history of visual art.

On the occasion of his 2018 solo show Theseus at Marlborough Gallery in New York, Desiderio sat down at his studio in Sleepy Hollow with artist and author Daniel Maidman to talk art. Over the course of a long sunny afternoon, Desiderio shared his insights on painting as a physical act, as a philosophical pursuit, and as a spiritual journey. This book presents that conversation, alongside the paintings made for the show.

Vincent Desiderio was born in 1955. He graduated from Haverford College in 1977 and later attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He is a Senior Critic at the New York Academy of Art and has been a visiting professor at numerous universities, most recently at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in China. Desiderio has received several grants and painting awards, including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and two National Endowment for the Arts Grants. His work can be found in many public collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum of American Art, Philadelphia, PA; The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; Galerie Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen, Germany; and The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

Daniel Maidman is best known for his vivid depiction of the figure. Maidman's drawings and paintings are included in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the New Britain Museum of American Art, and the Long Beach Museum of Art. His art and writing on art have been featured in PoetsArtists, ARTnews, Beautiful/Bizarre, Forbes, W, Juxtapoz, Hyperallergic, American Art Collector, D/Railed, Whitehot, The Artist's Magazine, and Manifest. He writes art criticism for The Huffington Post, art instruction for International Artist, and is a repeat guest critic at the New York Academy of Art. His first book of drawings, Daniel Maidman: Nudes, is available from Griffith Moon Publishing. He is represented by Jenn Singer Gallery. He lives and paints in Brooklyn, New York.

Vincent Desiderio was born in 1955. He graduated from Haverford College in 1977 and later attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He is a Senior Critic at the New York Academy of Art and has been a visiting professor at numerous universities, most recently at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in China. Desiderio has received several grants and painting awards, including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and two National Endowment for the Arts Grants. His work can be found in many public collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum of American Art, Philadelphia, PA; The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; Galerie Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen, Germany; and The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.