Art critic and historian Jed Perl is a regular fixture over at The New Republic and The New York Review of Books. His 2000 book Eyewitness: Reports from an Art World in Crisis lamented art in “the age of the dealmakers” and the recently released New Art City—a history of New York’s mid-century art scene—is turning out to be one of the most popular art-related texts of the year.

We recently had the opportunity to have a short chat with Jed about New Art City, Eyewitness and his upcoming 92nd Street Y appearance. After the jump, Perl on the current New York art scene, his favorite museums and why we’re still in “the age of the dealmakers.”

Is New York still as vital a home for new artists as it was at mid-century?

New York is still the center of the art world. What has changed is that, whereas 50 years ago, New York was a center for artists. But it was not necessarily a center for the buying and selling of art or the commerce of art. Now, New York is a center for auctions, galleries and dealers as well as a center for artists. I think what that has done is made it a little harder for young artists, especially, to feel free and like it’s “their” town.

What do you think the biggest misconception about New York’s mid-century art scene was?

The biggest misconception was that all the art being done was abstract expressionist. One of the things I really tried to do in New Art City was give people a sense of the variety of work going on, representational as well as abstract. There were geometric abstractions as well as more expressionist abstractions and there was a variety and heterogeneity upon which artists thrived on and valued. If you look closely at the period, you find legendary abstractionists like de Kooning and Pollock actually being very close friends with people who were doing work that was completely different from what they were doing. They exalted in that; they loved that sense that you were bouncing off people who were close to you and had different sensibilities.

I think now there is the tendency to see it as more of being a one-track period.

Your last column for The New Republic was about two art exhibitions in New York. Outside of New York, what art museums would you say are your favorites?

God, there are so many [laughs]. The Menil Collection in Houston is an amazing place. I was recently in San Francisco as well. The Palace of the Legion of Honor is an amazing museum with a classic collection. I love the Gardner Museum in Boston. One of the great things about this country is that there are all sorts of towns and mid-sized cities that have museums and sometimes one or two astonishing things. During lectures, I am asked “if blockbusters are such a difficult way to see art, what’s the alternative?” One of my responses is to urge people to go to the museums where they are and see the permanent exhibitions; they’re amazing things.

In Eyewitness, you called the ‘90s the age of dealmakers. What do you think this decade is?

I think we’re still in the decade of dealmakers [laughs]. They’re making bigger and bigger deals and getting away with it. It’s pretty wild out there.

[The Critic’s Voice II: Jed Perl on Art: 01/09/06]