It’s no exaggeration to say that Artforum in the 1960s was Phil Leider. He was (and doubtless still is) passionate, intellectual, demanding, uxorious, stubborn, street-smart, volatile, imaginative, moralistic, generous; above all he was as supportive of the artists and writers he most admired as an editor could be; and the magazine reflected his character and partialities in a way that made it unique. When the time came for him to move on, he ignited a conflagration to cover his departure. Artforum survived, of course, but when the flames died down Phil was gone.
