When I posted about the NEA scandal, people wrote.. "but that story come from ... conservatives!! How could you dignify it by re-blogging it!"
Well, here's another one and the reason, as a left-of-Stalin liberal, that I forward these stories is because when we DON'T acknowledge the fact that the White House curator made some poor choices and bafoons like Malkin step in and throw around the word "racism" just to cause a
stir.
This is not racism, or a big deal, or even a commentary on the presidency. It is simply a questionable art purchase. The root of the kevetching is that Alma Thomas's "Watusi" (1963) (left) looks a lot like the 1953 piece by Matisse titled "L' Escargot" (right).
Anway, liberal art media, let's run with this one, let's own it, do some art-think on it, talk about appropriated art.
Should we defend these art choice? Seems like we should at least be chatting about them. Forty-five of the pieces are in a slideshow here.
(Also, our own Joyce Owens wrote a post on her blog (scroll down to 5/25) when the art search began, and the rules that are set on White House acquisitions.
NEW: LA Times has a nice piece that does a good job putting this art, and controvercy, in context.
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This is gross... as a tangential note, the Diebenkorn piece is absolutely gorgeous.