Jed, what got you, at this stage of your career, to pivot and write a novel about an art scene you didn't cover?

Well, I love writing different kinds of books.

I wrote a long biography, a two-volume biography of Alexander Calder.

I've written cultural history.

My last book, uh, which was called Authority and Freedom, was a kind of philosophic exploration of the place of art in the world.

So I enjoy new challenges, and I've always been a, an avid reader of fiction.

Uh, so that was one of the streams that went into writing this book.

Tell me about that pivot