Donald Moffett (b. 1955) says he doesn’t know what kind of art to make—given the situation. It’s a moving thought for an artist who is showing fantastic new paintings in his seventh solo exhibition at Marianne Boesky’s gallery. Inspired by botanical discoveries Moffett made with his studio crew at the Staten Island Museum in the summer of 2019, these works are ambitious. In the run-up to the opening, Dan Cameron paid a visit to the artist’s studio to talk about the evolution of Moffett’s art practice, his work with Gran Fury and Act Up, and the possibility of being in another expansive period of new vocabulary and new conversation.
Dan Cameron (Rail): I want to start by asking a couple of questions to pin down chronology. Have you been showing with Tony Meier [Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco] since the beginning?
Donald Moffett: No, I was not there in the beginning. But I followed that program and, you know, everybody was showing there. Tony Feher was the one—he was a good friend of mine—
Rail: It’s an interesting story. Jay [Gorney] was eating at One Fifth with someone, and Tony Meier—who was then a student at Stanford, I believe—was eating at the table next to them. I think he was eating with Peter Nagy, but he can correct the record, and Tony happened to hear them talking about the art world. I think he heard the name Sherrie Levine drop, and then he heard Peter Halley’s name drop, and he leaned over and he said, “I’m sorry, I hope you don’t think I’m eavesdropping, but you seem like you’re in the art world.” So their friendship started with Tony telling Jay, “I think I’d like to have a gallery some day.”
Moffett: What was he doing?
Rail: I think Tony Meier was a college student at the time, or just out of school.
Moffett: Oh, I didn’t know.
Rail: Tony’s maybe 10 years, 12 years, younger than us.
Moffett: Yes.
Rail: So Jay had just opened Jay Gorney Modern Art on 10th Street in the East Village, and that was how they met. I remember Jay calling me and saying, “I just had the most interesting meeting, ” then I met Tony Meier. The other person who comes into this of course is Tony Feher, who soon became my very best friend.
Moffett: I didn’t know you guys were so close.
Rail: Yeah, Tony and I spent every summer on Fire Island together for years.
Moffett: Lucky you, lucky you.
Rail: Tony was very very special
