Robert L. Pincus - Pamela Jaeger

Robert L. Pincus: Art Critic and Books Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune and Sign-On San Diego

Robert Pincus has been the art critic of The San Diego Union (1985-1992) and The San Diego Union-Tribune for two decades. He is the author of On A Scale That Competes With the World: The Art of Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, He has contributed numerous essays to exhibition catalogs and books, including West Coast Duchamp and But Is It Art?: The Spirit of Art as Activism. His writings have also appeared in such periodicals as Artforum, Art News and Art in America. For the past decade, he has taught at the University of San Diego. Pincus holds a combined Ph.D. in English and Art History from the University of Southern California. Recognition for his writing includes the Chemical Bank Award for Distinguished Newspaper Art Criticism.

Question #1 What is your highlight Visual art experience from the last year?

#1 "One of the lures of being a critic is to hope that someday, sometime; you sense the flow of history as it is being made. In October 2007, I had just such a feeling. Robert Irwin was turning on the lights in his installation, 'Light and Space,' at the Museum of Contemporary Art - for the first time. I was nearby, with director Hugh Davies, when Irwin subsequently walked up and said, 'It's better than I ever thought it could be.' He looked as delighted as a child discovering something he had only imagined: a moment of wonder for a great artist. "

Question #2 What is your vision of the future of the Visual arts for San Diego?

#2 "If I could make two changes favorable to the visual arts in San Diego, one would be to have more venues, commercial and otherwise, so the numerous talented artists in the region would have ample opportunities to exhibit; the other, to have more intelligent writing about these artists and their work."