Prospects

Jackson Arn

Art critic, The New Yorker (successor to Peter Schjeldahl)

He was named The New Yorker's new art critic succeeding Peter Schjeldahl, who died in 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest critics of his time — a writer whose love of language fueled his love of art. Artnet News Arn carries that same aesthetic-first orientation. He shares Schjeldahl's gift for evocative description written with a strong point of view — he called Sarah Sze's Guggenheim show "the niftiest migraine you will ever experience" and Yayoi Kusama's David Zwirner sculptures "exactly on brand and resoundingly dull, with neither the trancelike boredom of Minimalism nor the wise-ass boredom of Pop." Artnet News

That is formalist criticism at its sharpest: he is talking about how the work works, not what it represents or who made it. He is mid-career and newly in one of the most prestigious critical roles in America — which means he is actively building his identity and reputation, and a well-framed international invitation could interest him precisely because it's not the usual New York circuit.

Why he fits: Schjeldahl's entire practice was about the aesthetic experience of threshold — standing in front of something and asking what it does to you. Arn is continuing that tradition. He would understand the exhibition's premise immediately.

How to reach him: Through The New Yorker editorial contacts, or through his earlier work at Art in America where he built his byline.