Robert Goff, a journalist-turned-art dealer and current Deputy Chairman and President of Private Sales at Gurr Johns, launches a new column for CULTURED titled "Out of Office" that explores destinations through the lens of local artists and creatives. The inaugural edition focuses on Joshua Tree and the Yucca Valley, highlighting off-the-beaten-path art experiences such as Rachel Whiteread's concrete casts of 1950s homesteader cabins on Jerry Sohn's private property, the outdoor sculptures of Noah Purifoy, and a memorable outdoor dinner at Andrea Zittel's A-Z West compound organized by sculptor Dan John Anderson, complete with a meal from the acclaimed High Desert restaurant La Copine.
This article matters because it reframes travel journalism through an art-world lens, emphasizing the value of wandering and seeking out hidden, site-specific works that exist outside traditional museum and gallery contexts. Goff's insider perspective—drawing on his roles at David Zwirner, Barbara Gladstone, and Gurr Johns—offers readers a curated, experiential guide to art destinations that are often inaccessible to the general public, blending art, food, and landscape into a cohesive cultural narrative.