The Slip: The New York City Street That Changed American Art Forever

Art historian Peiffer’s enchanting debut revisits the art scene that emerged in New York City’s Coenties Slip in the 1950s and early ’60s. A narrow street between piers in Lower Manhattan where ships were loaded and unloaded, Coenties Slip became a hotbed for artists in the 1950s, attracting abstract painter Ellswoth Kelly, Pop Art pioneer Robert Indiana, sculptor and collagist Lenore Tawney, and others. They “experiment[ed] in their illegal warehouse studios”; sourced found materials, including wood from sail masts, for their pieces; and worked at the forefront of pop art and other movements. Despite diverse styles, the artists found a sense of belonging with each other, as the Slip’s geographic isolation offered a “release from societal expectations” and “a sociopolitical refuge.” Change came in the 1960s with efforts to modernize the Financial District through the “widening of streets [and] the demolition of waterfront piers,” leading to the artists’ gradual departure. Peiffer vividly traces the community’s genesis and makes a detailed and persuasive case for its influence on other “alternative models to conventional city life.” It’s a gratifying deep dive into New York City art history. (Aug.)