The Stain of Art

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The idea of monster being able to call someone a monster got set aside and instead it was more this idea that we couldn't escape our knowledge of someone's biography. And because of that I kind of turn away from the image of the monster and toward an idea of the stain. The idea that the work is stained by our knowledge of what the maker has done. That became a more interesting place for me to explore.

Comedian Hannah Gadsby railed against Pablo Picasso in “Nanette.” So why are they curating an exhibition timed to the 50th anniversary of his death? Gadsby and author Claire Dederer explain what we should do with art from monstrous artists.

This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Michael Raphael, and hosted by Noel King.

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