The Art of Dying

The complete last essays of acclaimed writer Peter Schjeldahl, the great art critic for The New Yorker

When The New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl published his widely read autobiographical essay "The Art of Dying" in December 2019, he reported that he had lung cancer and his oncologist had given him six months of life. His treatment was showing some improvement, and, he wrote, "These extra months are a luxury that I hope to have put to good use." And so he did. The Art of Dying: Writings, 2019–2022 begins with that essay and collects all 47 pieces that he wrote for the magazine before his death in October 2022. These last works form a moving portrait of Schjeldahl’s hard-won reflections on art and life, against the backdrop of an intensely anxious period in America, spanning the pandemic, the George Floyd protests, the, 2020 presidential election, and the war in Ukraine. Schjeldahl, who was the leading art writer of his generation, wrote with generosity and openness about the art world during these tempestuous three years. Comedian Steve Martin contributes a foreword and critic and curator Jarrett Earnest contributes an introduction.