In Encounters with Artists, Richard Cork turns his impeccable skills
as a critic and writer to tell the story of his encounters with some of
the world's most influential artists. From a serendipitous meeting with
Pablo Picasso in Cannes in 1965 through his early days as a writer on
the Evening Standard and his later role as chief art critic for The
Times, Cork records the personal encounters that reveal the characters
behind the art.
From individuals who can look back over a lifetime's career, such as
Louise Bourgeois, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns, to younger artists
encountered at the beginning of their careers, such as Tracey Emin and
Damien Hirst, Cork reveals artists' inner thoughts, anxieties, and
creative ambitions. From a studio meeting with Lucian Freud to being
driven through the Yorkshire countryside by David Hockney and given a
tour of Soho drinking locations with Francis Bacon, Cork has found that
"talking to artists can, in my experience, be surprising, revealing,
salutary, testing, provocative, stimulating, and at times capable of
overturning all my preconceptions about the individuals I encounter."
Cork has played a significant role in popularizing late modern and
contemporary art. In the words of art critic Louisa Buck, his "lucid,
evenhanded and at times trenchantly critical judgement has been
invaluable in helping to create the multiplicity of approach and
vigorous debates of today's artistic climate."
