An acidic portrait of the grifters and pretenders of the art world, from the celebrated author of The Mars Room
In Rachel Kushner-s latest work of fiction, The Mayor of Leipzig, an unnamed artist recounts her travels from New York City to Cologne-where she contemplates German guilt and art-world grifters, and Leipzig-where she encounters live -adult entertainment- in a business hotel. The narrator gossips about everyone, including the author. -Taking a time out from what happened to me in Cologne and in Leipzig,- Kushner writes, -I want to let you in on a secret: I personally know the author of this story you-re reading. Because she fancies herself an art world type, a hanger-on. Who would do that voluntarily? I mean, it-s not like someone held a gun to my head and said, Be an artist. I chose it, but I still can-t imagine having anything to do with the art world if you don-t have to. Also, people who don-t make stuff, who instead try to catalogue
