My First (cultural crush)

This summer, a number of New York Times art critics are writing about their cultural first crushes- something I recall myself. I have vivid memories of turning the pages of one particular paperback book,  a series of photographs of Pablo Picasso taken by the famed photojournalist David Douglas Duncan and collected into a slim volume called  The Private World of Pablo Picasso that was stored on a bookcase in my parents' home.

Published when I was 6 years old, something about the ability of a photograph to define a point in time fascinated me, and I enjoyed seeing the lively images of a famous artist who appeared old enough to be a grandfather, holding a jump roap as his young children played on a summer day. These images provided a window in to a career path that became my identity- the life of a creative with all the attending hardships, adventures, success and unknowns.