PURPLE 39 THE NEW YORK ISSUE: INTERVIEW JOHN CURRIN

PURPLE 39 THE NEW YORK ISSUE:

NEW YORK SUPERSTAR AND MASTER PAINTER JOHN CURRIN REINCARNATES THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF AMERICAN FIGURATIVE PAINTING.

Portrait by Olivier Zahm

All artwork by John Currin, courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles HQ

“So much of my feelings about New York have to do with meeting my wife, Rachel Feinstein. But even before I met her, I think New York got really good starting in 1990, 1991. It was a little harsh in the ’80s. It was just dangerous and de­pressing. If you weren’t successful like Basquiat, it was very depressing and dangerous. But my 1980s New York really sucked — it was just working on manual labor jobs. To me, in the ’90s, things were getting kind of wonderful. My work started to become something, and I started to realize who I was as an artist. And then when I met Rachel, I thought it was the most magical place on Earth, and it was everything I’d ever wanted.”

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