“Put yourself in the position of an up-and-coming artist living in early-sixteenth-century Italy. Now imagine trying to distinguish yourself from the other artists living in your town: Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, or Titian. Is it any wonder that the Italian High Renaissance lasted only 30 years?”

American art critic

Jerry Saltz is an American art critic and columnist, known for his long career in New York art journalism. Since 2006, he has served as senior art critic and columnist for New York magazine. He was formerly the senior art critic for The Village Voice. In 2018, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, and he was nominated for the award in 2001 and 2006. He has also taught or served as a visiting critic at the School of Visual Arts, Columbia University, Yale University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the New York Studio Residency Program, and was the sole advisor for the 1995 Whitney Biennial.