Calvin Tomkins
A graceful chronicler of the modern art world who translated the lives of artists and the energy of new movements into lucid, compelling prose for decades.
Born 1925 (age 101)·American author and art critic·Birthday: December 17·The Greatest Generation
Biography
For over half a century, Calvin Tomkins served as The New Yorker's discerning guide through the often-opaque world of contemporary art. Joining the magazine in the early 1960s, he possessed a rare ability to demystify avant-garde movements without diminishing their power, profiling artists like Marcel Duchamp, Robert Rauschenberg, and Damien Hirst with a novelist's eye for character and a reporter's commitment to clarity. His writing never felt like dry criticism; it was storytelling that placed the artist's life, studio, and ideas at its center. Through countless profiles and essays, Tomkins built a living history of modern creativity, making the passions and processes of genius accessible to a wide audience and cementing his role as a essential narrator of cultural change.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Calvin was born in 1925, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Calvin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1925
#1 Movie
The Gold Rush
Calvin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1925Born
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1930Started school
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1938Became a teenager
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Could drive
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1943Could vote
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Turned 21
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1955Turned 30
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 40
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 50
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 60
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 70
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 80
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2026Age 101 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored the definitive biography of Marcel Duchamp, a seminal work in modern art history.
- Wrote over a dozen books profiling major 20th and 21st century artists and movements.
- Served as a staff writer for The New Yorker for more than five decades, shaping the magazine's arts coverage.
Did You Know?
He initially pursued a career as a novelist before turning to art writing.
He was married to art curator and writer Dodie Kazanjian.
His first piece for The New Yorker was a 'Talk of the Town' story about a fire at the Museum of Modern Art.
“The best art changes the way you see the world.”
