Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Alison Stewart
Episode: Exploring New York's Art World in the Eighties
Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It spotlights the new exhibition “Downtown Uptown: New York in the 80s” at the Levy Gorvey Diane Gallery, which traces the electric, diverse, and politically charged art scene of 1980s New York City. Host Alison Stewart is joined by renowned dealer and 80s art scene trailblazer Mary Boone and exhibition co-curator/gallerist Brett Gorvey. Together, they discuss the artistic energy, key artists, social issues, and lasting legacies of this transformative era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Defining the 80s Art Scene

• Energy and Possibility of the Era

  • Brett Gorvey describes the show as “a love letter to New York” — an era when the city was emerging from bankruptcy and creativity flourished despite material scarcity.
  • The show includes 78 works by 25 artists, capturing styles like Neo-expressionism, street art, and pop art, including icons like Basquiat, Warhol, Kruger, and Koons.
  • [01:42] Brett Gorvey:

    “I came to New York in 1983 as a 19 year old student and was immediately taken in by the energy … This was a time where you had young artists downtown … there was huge possibility. I mean, there was no money … graffiti on the streets, and that excitement is really what we wanted to capture for the show.”

• Physicality and Community Pre-Internet

  • Mary Boone reflects on a time when art was experienced in person, and a tightknit community of collectors and artists mingled in Soho on weekends.
  • She laments the impact of the internet on experiencing art, saying that viewing works online “is not positive for the art world.”
  • [02:58] Mary Boone:

    “Since it was pre-Internet, people were much more given to see things, actually … there was kind of an actuality to it that made it, I think, more relevant.”

• The “Freshness” and “Emotion” that Still Resonates

  • Gorvey notes that young audiences today are especially struck by how vital and emotional these works still feel, reinforcing the enduring relevance of the 80s art scene.
  • [04:33] Brett Gorvey:

    “The two words that I've heard from the most has been the freshness … People are talking about this feeling very fresh and original … The other thing is the word emotional … That people, these artists were really connecting with the city, they were connecting with the street and bringing the street into the gallery.”

Social Issues, Identity, and Diversity

• Spotlight on Women and Underrepresented Artists

  • Boone and Gorvey highlight the prominence of women artists and political critique in the era, referencing the Guerrilla Girls’ activism and artists like Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Louise Lawler.
  • [06:11] Mary Boone:

    “Particularly the Guerrilla Girls … the number of women that were out there making work, like Cindy Sherman, Louise Lawler, Sally Mann, Barbara Kruger, Katie Noland … That was, I think, you know, just remembering back …”

• Impact of the AIDS Crisis

  • The 80s New York scene was deeply shaped by the AIDS epidemic, with artists like Robert Mapplethorpe and David Wojnarowicz creating work that addressed or was affected by the crisis.
  • [06:51] Mary Boone:

    “The whole AIDS crisis and having Robert Mapplethorpe and David Wojnarowicz and Ross Bleckner, whose work has always been about … has had a large part to do with AIDS.”

Avoiding Nostalgia: The Living Legacy

• Curating for Relevance, Not Nostalgia

  • Gorvey emphasizes that most of the featured artists are still alive and actively working, making the exhibition less about nostalgia and more about the ongoing influence of their pioneering early work.
  • The selection encapsulates how the artists' formative years in the 80s continue to inform their present.
  • [07:37] Brett Gorvey:

    “No one wants to be pigeonholed to what you were doing in 1982 or 83, when ultimately you're working today … It’s not about nostalgia … It's showing really what was the pioneering aspect of this period …”

• Community and Camaraderie

  • The exhibit brought together artists who still know and compete with one another, highlighting a strong sense of community that endures.
  • [09:49] Mary Boone:

    “Still competition, yeah.”

  • [09:52] Brett Gorvey:

    “It's that sense of community which I think we really feel when you walk through the space.”

Memorable Artworks and Anecdotes

• The Basquiat "Punching Bag"
  • Mary Boone recounts the story of a Basquiat piece in the show— a punching bag inscribed with her name and crowned — suggesting it represented Basquiat’s protection of her at a difficult time in her life.
  • [10:32] Mary Boone:

    “Normally the way Jean Michel worked was that people that were important in his life … he wrote their names on paintings. I think I kind of thought it was about … that he felt that I got picked on … But that he's going to crown me.”

  • [12:01] Mary Boone:

    “I don't feel very tough. I feel like I thought you were a wimp … Maybe he wanted to bring it out because he was really that kind of person. He liked to bring out the best in people.”

Downtown vs. Uptown: The City’s Dual Art Worlds

• Geography of Creation vs. Aspiration
  • Downtown was where artists lived, worked, and created; uptown was home to established galleries and influential collectors — the “aspiration.”
  • [12:34] Brett Gorvey:

    “Downtown was basically where the artists were living, where they were making the work. And it was very much about the street and ultimately the sense of community. But they had aspirations. Their aspirations was uptown … that's where, you know, the very established galleries were … the story of the city.”

Gallery Legends and Influencers

• Influential Galleries and Dealers
  • The group recalls titans of the gallery world like Leo Castelli, Paula Cooper, and the profound connections between gallerists and artists that shaped careers and movements.
  • [14:12] Alison Stewart:

    “It’s so interesting to hear you talk about, like, oh, Paula Cooper. Oh, Leo Castelli. I mean, these are huge galleries.”

Favorite Works & Exhibition Character

• Impossible to Choose a Favorite
  • When asked to name one standout work, Boone refuses, emphasizing the overall quality of the show— from Andy Warhol’s ‘Fright Wig’ to Barbara Kruger’s rediscovered “What Me Worry,” and Jeff Koons’ “vacuum cleaners.”
  • [14:50] Mary Boone:

    “That is impossible to answer because we took a lot of time to try to have everybody represented at their top level. I mean, the Fright wig of Andy's is a groundbreaking work. And the Barbara Kruger, what me worry, that's a piece that, you know, I had lost track of and I'm so happy to see it back again. And, you know, the Jeff Koons vacuum cleaners, I mean, just keep going on.”

  • The show draws primarily from private collections, creating an intimate and personal atmosphere:
    • [15:54] Brett Gorvey:

      “Most of this comes from private collectors. We didn't go to museums … Many of these works have come from people's homes, actually from the bedrooms of collectors. So that intimacy is something you really feel.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the 80s art scene’s pulse:
  • Brett Gorvey [01:42]: “I've often referred to this as a love letter to New York … New York was coming out of bankruptcy. There was huge possibility … that excitement is really what we wanted to capture for the show.”
• On experiencing art in person:
  • Mary Boone [02:58]: “It was more like, what was the routine? … It was a great thing because you saw things in person. There was a kind of actuality to it that made it, I think, more relevant.”
• On modern reception:
  • Brett Gorvey [04:33]: “People … see the vitality. The two words that I've heard from the most has been the freshness … and emotional.”
• On selecting pieces for the show:
  • Mary Boone [14:50]: “That is impossible to answer … Every single piece is a masterpiece.”
• On Basquiat’s punching bag:
  • Mary Boone [10:32]: “Normally the way Jean Michel worked was that people that were important in his life … he wrote their names on paintings. So I was no different.”
• On the show’s intimacy and private collections:
  • Brett Gorvey [15:54]: “Most of this comes from private collectors … Many of these works have come from people's homes, actually from the bedrooms of collectors. So that intimacy is something you really feel.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:42] – Gorvey on capturing the 80s energy
• [02:58] – Boone on pre-internet art viewing and community
• [04:33] – Audience response: freshness and emotional connection
• [06:11] – Inclusion of women artists and the Guerrilla Girls
• [06:51] – The AIDS crisis in art
• [07:37] – Curating to avoid nostalgia; living artists
• [09:52] – The ongoing sense of community
• [10:32] – The story of Basquiat’s “punching bag”
• [12:34] – Downtown vs. uptown art worlds
• [14:50] – On the impossibility of naming a single standout artwork

Tone and Language

The tone throughout is lively, animated, and deeply reverential of New York’s creative history. Both Boone and Gorvey speak with passion, warmth, and a sense of community, often peppered with personal anecdotes and insider references. Stewart’s questions are informed and enthusiastic, facilitating a natural, engaging discussion.

Conclusion

This episode offers both an evocative snapshot of 80s New York’s transformative art scene and a meditation on the lasting, living legacy of its artists and community. Listeners gain an appreciation for not only the iconic artwork of the era, but the physical, social, and emotional environments that shaped it— and have the chance to see it anew at the Levy Gorvey Diane Gallery’s exhibition.