Piri Halasz's picture

Real name: 

Primary Discipline

Primary Discipline: 

  • Humanities

Further Specification: 

Visual art
Secondary Discipline

Secondary Discipline: 

  • HumanitiesLanguages and literatureLiterary theory

Further Specification: 

Art criticism

Biography: 

At Barnard, Piri Halasz majored in English. She next worked for Time magazine, as a researcher, then as a writer. At the end of this period, she wrote about art for Time, and became more interested in art than in Time. She left, went to graduate school, and took her PhD in art history from Columbia. Since leaving Time, she has published more than 200 articles in 13 publications ranging from The New York Times to the College Art Journal, and most recently, Observer & The Independent Scholar. In addition, she publishes From the Mayor’s Doorstep, an online column/newsletter that also appears in hard copy. She has taught at Columbia, Hunter College, C. W. Post Center/Long Island University, Molloy College and Bethany College (WV). Her books: A Swinger’s Guide to London (Coward McCann, 1967; pb iUniverse, Authors Guild “back in print” program, 2010) and A Memoir of Creativity: abstract painting, politics & the media, 1956-2008 (iUniverse, 2009). The latter won a gold medal in the category of Writing/Publishing from the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards, and was reviewed by Ann Lee Morgan in The Independent Scholar (January 2011).

Current research areas: 

20th & 21st century art history & criticism

Recent scholarly activity: 

(An Appropriate Distance) From the Mayor's Doorstep, online column of art criticism & art comment, publishes reviews of current exhibitions that may or may not contain insights based upon art-historical and cultural knowledge, for instance in reviews of exhibitions of Peter Bradley, Harvey Citron, The Art Show and The Armory Show.   In August 2019 also delivered talk at Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center on coverage by Life and Time of Jackson  Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler..

Recent publications: 

"Transition from Mystery into History: How the Internet Revived my Faith in 'Swinging London,'" The Independent Scholar, December 2015

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National Coalition of Independent Scholars