Everyone likes the cover—we had nothing to do with it. I always thought it should be some kind of American flag. I proposed artists, but the publisher found a designer who produced this cover. So, your first hope is that people give the cover a second look.

The title Rethinking American Art applies both to me and to the field—it’s constantly being rethought. My hope is that anyone interested in history, collecting, or American culture will take a look. American history itself is constantly reinterpreted—the facts are the same, but interpretations change.

For years, people thought the Civil War was caused by economic factors; recently, it’s been understood as being about slavery. So, everything changes, and we live in a very fluid world. But people look to art for stability—a sense of beauty and meaning outside their regular cares.

Right now, it is hard to say, but dramatic things are happening. In the last few years, the art world turned to DEI—diversity. Every museum wanted to hang Black, women, Native American, Hispanic artists. That was gaining steam. Then Trump got elected, and now diversity programs are being declared illegal or immoral. Whether that’s temporary or a real change, I don’t know. My book ends at the end of 2024, just before that. What will happen in the future? We have no idea. The world is uncertain, and I wonder about quality in art.

As the canon of art keeps changing, we’re still left with the question: is there such a thing as quality in art? Does it matter? Some think there’s no such thing as quality. But if there isn’t, then there’s no quality in human life, literature, a beautiful plant, a handsome house. Quality is what we seek in our lives. So my feeling is that museums and collectors can look for diverse artists, but must maintain a sense of quality. You don’t pick people because they’re Black or Asian—you look for the best of their work. And the best of their work is worth hanging. Some people are adventurous in collecting; others only collect the established canon. Often, it’s people from minorities or outside the establishment who see things most freshly and best, because they haven’t been taught the conventional ways.

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