Audio Essay – Surviving Mom and Pop Art by Adam Scull

At 70, I’ve kept a large amount unsaid about my family.  I felt it was time to let this go, once and for all. There is much more to my story, but I didn’t want to bare every last detail which needs to be written out as a memoir.

This very personal audio essay is about growing up in the family that made me, where greed and avarice were a day-to-day experience as they climbed the social ladder of New York City, much more concerned about their vast art collection than the family. In doing so they left their children largely behind. 

Known for their art collection, my mother was the darling of Women’s Wear Daily. The couture designers threw clothes at her to wear to all the parties. The designers would cluck when her photo appeared in their clothes. 

Things started to come apart in the late 1970s when the art got locked up in a warehouse as they divorced. The battle and the subsequent trial of the decade were on. How were they going to divide this art collection?