John Ashbery

John Ashbery (1927–2017) was an American poet and art critic associated with the New York School and is considered one of the most influential American poets of his time.

American critics and poets also played an important role in shaping contemporary debates in Paris, though this was neither easy nor straightforward to sustain. Ashbery was among the few figures who successfully combined poetic and critical practice. Ashbery, who lived and worked in Paris from 1960, produced an extensive body of criticism, publishing more than 450 reviews and essays between 1957 and 1975. His work demonstrates how the boundaries between poetry, criticism and personal networks were blurred, offering a different critical lens on the same artists with whom they were in close personal, and sometimes professional, relationships. Among his contributions is the article “American Sanctuary in Paris” (1966) for Art News Annual, in which a number of artists spoke about their affinity to France and specifically Paris, and their motivations for making the city their primary residence.

Ashbery and Mitchell had known each other since the early 1950s through frequent evenings at the Cedar Tavern in New York, but became close later in Paris, where they were both living and met regularly. Ashbery became one of Mitchell’s closest friends during these years. In 1960 they collaborated on Poems, part of 4-book project by Tiber Press.