For the 39th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Susan Davidson, curator and art historian, about her landmark book "Tom Wesselmann: The Great American Nude," published by Gagosian and Almine Rech, in collaboration with the Estate of Tom Wesselmann. Distributed by Rizzoli International Publications, New York.

This conversation reveals the unexpected story behind one of Pop Art's most iconic series. Wesselmann arrived in New York with no art training and couldn't paint like his heroes—a limitation that forced him to invent something entirely new. Davidson traces how he built his visual language from found materials: candy wrappers, magazine clippings, working radios, even a leaf from his soup at Trader Vic's. "The Great American Nude" series (1961-73) emerged from a dream of red, white, and blue and evolved across one hundred works that blur high and low culture, representation and real objects, art history and American consumerism. 

Davidson discusses Wesselmann's strategic placement of Matisse and Modigliani reproductions within his compositions—asserting his place in their lineage—while revealing the personal dimension often missed: these paintings were his sustained tribute to Claire, his wife and inspiration. Drawing on Wesselmann's pseudonymous memoir and extensive estate archives, she shows how an artist with limited natural facility built both a distinctive body of work and a lasting position in art history.

Whether you're interested in Pop Art's origins, the 1960s cultural moment, or how limitation can drive innovation, this episode offers a fresh perspective on an artist who turned constraint into creative freedom.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Susan Davidson is an independent curator and scholar specializing in Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art, with particular expertise in Robert Rauschenberg's work. She served as Senior Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2002-2017), where she organized exhibitions including "Jackson Pollock: Exploring Alchemy" and "Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective." Previously, she was Collections Curator at The Menil Collection, Houston (1985-2002). Davidson holds advanced degrees in art history from the Courtauld Institute, London, and George Washington University.

PURCHASE THE BOOK 

https://gagosianshop.com/products/tom-wesselmann-the-great-american-nude-monograph 

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"Reading the Art World" is a live interview and podcast series with leading art world authors hosted by art advisor Megan Fox Kelly. The conversations explore timely subjects in the world of art, design, architecture, artists and the art market, and are an opportunity to engage further with the minds behind these insightful new publications. 

Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advis

SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:

For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.

Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly

"Reading the Art World" is a podcast featuring live interviews with leading authors and writers on important new art books. Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors who works with collectors, estates and foundations.

Music composed by Bob Golden