Publisher’s Note

Art Creates a City

Last month Edvard Munch’s The Scream sold for a whopping $119.9 million, setting an auction record for the sale of a work of art. And with that the art world went scrambling for an answer. Why? What is it about this work that catapulted it into rarified air? It is undoubtedly one of the most compelling images, and it has reached an iconic status not only in the art world but also in popular culture. It’s up there with Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Picasso’s Guernica, and Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans. But unlike those works, I think The Scream holds a slightly elevated position, not because of its artistic excellence but because it is an image that everyone can instantly relate to. Who has not at some point felt just like the person on the bridge? There’s something about that expression that speaks volumes to us and resonates on a basic instinctual level. We have all been there or at least very close. And that’s what makes it, in my opinion, a singularly important work. Is it worth the fortune paid for it? I think it is, but there again I didn’t have to write the check!

I’m thrilled to welcome Sara Lee Burd to our Nashville Arts team. Sara will be jumping in the deep end, helping us to produce this labor of love each month. The deep end is where the joy is, even if some days it feels a lot like The Scream.

Paul Polycarpou

Editor in Chief