Bye-Bye Pulitzer: Jerry Saltz Reflects on His Move to New York Magazine

No more Pulitzer Prize nominations for Village Voice art critic Jerry Saltz: Twice a finalist but never a winner, he's moving his reviews to New York magazine, where his first column is tentatively scheduled for the Apr. 16 issue. Since the Pulitzer is for newspapers, he may have to settle instead for a National Magazine Award. (New York is an NMA finalist in seven categories this year, but not for criticism.)

Saltz tells CultureGrrl:

I loved every second of my eight years, four months, two days, 14 hours, and 50 minutes at the Village Voice. But I'm really excited about being a part of what [editor-in-chief] Adam Moss has been doing with New York Magazine over the last couple of years. I'm hoping to continue doing whatever it is that I do with contemporary art and institutional issues, but do it to a much larger, more diverse audience. I think it's possible to occupy a more prominent stage without watering down content

Incumbent Mark Stevens asked to be relieved of his 10-year art critic's gig to work on a new biography (subject to be announced). He will remain on New York's masthead as contributing editor. Stevens was co-author with Annalyn Swan of the acclaimed (and Pulitzer Prize winning) 2004 biography, "de Kooning: An American Master."

We already knew that New York adored Jerry, because he was the only critic whom the magazine anointed last May as one of The Influentials in its "Art" category (putting him in the elite company of Philippe de Montebello and David Rockefeller).

Here's what New York then said:

Most serious art writing reaches readers long after the art in question is off the walls, but Saltz is a rare critic with real-time impact.

Does Jerry's "real-time impact" in a more influential publication mean that we may now see more women artists on the walls of museums and galleries?