Eric Fischl came of age in an exceptionally fertile time in the New York art world. His friends and colleagues in the 1980s downtown scene included Julian Schnabel, David Salle, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and others who were redefining the art of their times. At a point when the culture was at pains to declare painting a dead end, Fischl persisted with a frankly autobiographical figurative approach that he continues to mine to this day.

Fischl talks to us about a difficult childhood on suburban Long Island, toughing it out at Cal Arts in the 1970s, meeting Andy Warhol, finding his voice both in this country and on his travels, and writing a memoir about his life and times. He is perhaps the only artist to have left a definitive account of the struggles and triumphs of a contemporary painter, and his revelations will be of interest to anyone determined to have a career in the fine arts.