"
Phil fell in love with Smithson. Smithson is key for the opening of the final chapter of Artforum.
I thought he was a talented writer. The rest of it—every time I see work of his I’m astonished by how nothing it is. He was contentious and funny. Charismatic to a lot of people, which is odd since he was so unattractive. He was a nice guy, and a great writing talent. There was the perception that he wrote a manifesto for Earthworks. He was tough and he was stubborn and readable. That was his attraction.
"Barbara Rose in Amy Newman’s Challenging Art: Artforum 1962–1974.
