Intelligencer

But Morley, Is It Art?

Safer’s brush with sabbatical.

By Emma Rosenblum
Published Oct 22, 2006

Veteran 60 minutes correspondent Morley Safer, who once bashed modern art in a 60 Minutes segment called “Yes … But Is It Art?,” is packing up his brushes and heading to Rome. “I’ve been painting since I was 6—it’s a lifelong hobby,” says Safer, whose only recorded gallery show was back in 1980, at which his paintings sold for $200 to $500 (Walter Cronkite bought a painting of Safer’s den). “I’ll be painting at the American Academy in Rome for all of April,” Safer says, before clarifying: “Just painting, not studying painting.” Safer’s romantic sojourn won’t interfere with his 36-year tenure at 60 Minutes. “Of course I’ll be back in time for next season,” he says. What can we expect on his easel? “I paint mostly landscapes nowadays.”