“I regretted what I did not do,” said painter and musician Larry Rivers (1923-2002) on February 17th, 1995, discussing his unauthorized autobiography, “What Did I Do?” at a weekly presentation of Artist’s Talk on Art. The moderator was Vernita Nemec, and writer Stephen Di Lauro interviewed the artist, who also fielded questions from the audience.

The hot-button issue about the book seemed to be the change in sexual mores and gender relations that had occurred between the era of events described in books and the time of its release. According to Rivers, Betty Friedan, a good friend of his, had declined to review or comment. Ms. Nemec wisely decided to steer the discussion towards art.

Other memorable statements by Larry Rivers included:

“I’m interested in the process because that’s how you get a finished product.”

“There is very little you can do about who you are.”

On his “segue” from jazz to painting, Rivers told the audience that it happened in “a rather odd way.” While in Maine for an extended gig, he was looking for a pastime as an alternative to “pot & poker,” so at the suggestion of the wife of one of his fellow musicians, he joined her in painting during the days there.

When asked about the community of artists, he referred to that concept as some idea that Van Gogh had, “a 19th Century romantic notion that does not seem to exist.”

Artists Talk On Art is organization which has for the past thirty years, every week during it’s spring and fall seasons, presented live talks with prominent members of the art community in various venues in New York City. Audio and video records of these presentations were made. ATOA, in an effort to restore and preserve this precious “living history,” has recently secured a matching grant from the NEA.

In November, the organization will present “Objects of Desire,” a fundraising event and auction to save the archive. If you would like to get involved so that we can all enjoy and learn from this valuable resource in years to come, information and an auction preview are at ATOA AUCTION.

Sample Audio of Rivers Interview
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