All Episodes

August 26, 2022 3 mins

Coming Sept 23: For more than 35 years, accusations of murder shrouded one of the art world’s most storied couples: Was the famous sculptor Carl Andre involved in the death of his up-and-coming artist wife Ana Mendieta? Host Helen Molesworth revisits Mendieta’s death and the trial that followed, and interrogates both the silence and the protest that have accompanied this story ever since.

To hear the whole season early and ad-free, consider becoming a Pushkin+ subscriber in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Death of an Artist is a co-production between Pushkin Industries, Somethin’ Else, and Sony Music Entertainment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Anna Mendietta and Carl Andre were a textbook example of
opposites attract two artists, a white man from New England
who became famous in the sixties for his minimalist sculptures bricks,
wood or metal placed directly on the floor, and a
Cuban woman who had been forced from her homeland and
discovered avant garde art in the middle of Iowa in

(00:24):
the nineteen seventies. She basically staged what looked like blood
in the doorway of a building, and it was extremely powerful.
I'm Helen Molesworth, an art historian, and I want to
tell you the story of these two people. As artists
and as lovers. They each push the boundaries of art

(00:44):
and change the trajectory of art history. It could have
been a love story, but instead it's a tragedy. Did
she ever sound like she was afraid of him? Yes,
that night he said, yeah, he's going to blow up
if I have this conversation with him. In the early
hours of September eighth, nineteen eighty five, Anna fell from

(01:05):
the thirty fourth floor window of Carl's New York apartment.
Carl was charged with murder, and the art world started
to split into There were those who couldn't believe such
an artistic genius was capable of that kind of violence.
How could Carl who revere then the purity of the desire,
how could he have done such an act like that?

(01:27):
And there were those who blame him for Anna's death,
that us jailed at him, that he was a murderer.
This might have remained a story remembered only by art
world insiders, except in the decades after her death. The
world changed a lot, and while Carl's career has remained strong,
Anna's has had a meteoric rise. So in twenty fourteen,

(01:52):
when Carl Andre was celebrated with a big museum retrospective,
Anna Mendieta's fans showed up in force, and for me,
the question was, could the art world's unofficial rule that

(02:13):
we separate the art from the artist still hold The
work is separate from the individual it has to be.
Could I continue to love both Animandiettas and Carl Andre's work.
It felt like the only way to answer that question
was by asking another what really happened to Anna Mendieta.

(02:37):
This is Death of an Artist Coming September twenty third
from Pushkin Industries, Something Else and Sony Music Entertainment. Listen
and follow wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to pushkin
Plus and you can hear the whole season early and
add free. Find Pushkin Plus on the Death of an

(02:58):
Artist show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin dot fm,
slash plus
Advertise With Us

Host

Helen Molesworth

Helen Molesworth

Popular Podcasts

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.