The Sad, Strange History of “Degenerate Art”

“Crazy at any price!” read a sign above the modern art masterpieces at the Nazi-sponsored Entartete Kunst (“Degenerate Art,” in English) exhibition in Munich, Germany, in 1937. The fevered brainchild of art-obsessed Adolf Hitler, Entartete Kunst aimed at showing not only what “Jewish” and “Bolshevik” art looked like, but also arguing how the degeneracy of those artists and their work threatened the spiritual health of the German people, the “master race” Hitler believed would rule the world, with him as their leader. The Neue Galerie in New York City revisits that sad moment in modern art history with the exhibition Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany, 1937, which runs through June 30, 2014. The exhibition gathers together many of the “crazy” works labeled as degenerate, holds them up against examples of the Hitler-approved German art, and takes us down the long, strange road that led up to that Munich show. The result is a sad, strange history that will leave you shaking your head at the past, but will also make you wonder if it could happen, again, here and now. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "The Sad, Strange History of 'Degenerate Art.'"

Mob Rule: Curating via Crowdsourcing

The aftershocks of the controversy surrounding the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s decision to drop David Wojnarowicz’s 1987 video “A Fire in My Belly” from their exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture continue to be felt. I first wrote about this kerfuffle back in December, when it seemed like part of the “War on Christmas” conservatives claim is declared annually in America. The left fired back by putting Wojnarowicz’s video into museums and exhibitions across the country as a sign of solidarity against censorship. Now, the culture war continues, with the Smithsonian opening the door to a new kind of censorship—“crowdsourcing” as a means of curating. Instead of risking offending groups with exhibitions, the Smithsonian allows groups to “preview” the show and “suggest” changes. But can such social media mob rule be good for the arts? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Mob Rule."

Mad, Sad, Bad, Glad: The Past Year in Art

The state of the art of art in the United States and beyond in 2010 reflected the larger unrest of the world itself. I originally wanted to compartmentalize things into the good, the bad, and the ugly, but that seemed inappropriate. So, here’s my recap of art in 2010 as the mad, the sad, the bad, and the glad. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Mad, Sad, Bad, Glad."

Fired Up: The Wojnarowicz Controversy Lives On

When the decision-makers at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery decided to drop David Wojnarowicz’s 1987 video “A Fire in My Belly” from their exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, they did it hoping to end the controversy. To the credit of the American art community, that act ignited a much larger conflagration. Opponents of the censorship have responded with full force—moral, aesthetic, and financial. Instead of banishing Wojnarowicz’s video to obscurity, conservatives calling for its removal have instead given the late artist a second life and the widespread media attention that comes equally from fame or infamy. Removing “A Fire in My Belly” has fired up those dedicated to the arts and, perhaps, awakened them to the seriousness of the latest battle in the American culture wars. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Fired Up."

Season’s Bleatings: The War on Christmas Starts at the Smithsonian

The signs of the holiday season are upon us: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, twinkling lights, overdecorated malls, and now, finally, the annual conservative cri de Coeur—The War on Christmas! This year, the battle begins at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, which has played host to the exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture since October 30^th. An intrepid conservative reporter finally stumbled upon (or disingenuously timed coverage of) the exhibition this past week and fired the first shot in 2010’s War on Christmas by taking aim at the late David Wojnarowicz’s 1987 video “A Fire in My Belly.” Somehow a show centered on difference and desire in American portraiture has become a “Christmas show,” as conservatives take umbrage with Wojnarowicz’s imagery of a crucified Jesus Christ covered in ants (a still from the film is shown above). So, let’s all gather under the tree and let the Season’s Bleatings begin. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Season's Bleatings."

Ghosts and Goblins

For the September Art Poll by Bob, I did a little time travelling and posed the thought experiment of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood finding themselves in our present day on the search of a model who suited their Pre-Raphaelite tastes. In response to my question, “Which of the following modern actresses do you consider the most Pre-Raphaelite worthy?”, you responded with the biggest vote total yet, an astounding 158 votes. The beautiful Helena Bonham Carter (above) won with 43 supporters, barely edging out early favorite Kate Winslet, who garnered 41 votes. Julianne Moore followed with 19 votes. Nicole Kidman and Keira Knightley tied with 18 votes. Natalie Portman with 11 votes and Angelina Jolie with 7 votes rounded out the field. Thanks to the one person who voted for Charlotte Rampling and rescued her from the indignity of a shutout. Thanks to everyone who joined in my little experiment and voted.

In celebration of Halloween at the end of the month, the October Art Poll By Bob asks, “Which of the following paintings seems the spookiest?”:

William Blake, The Ghost of a Flea (1819-1820)

Arnold Böcklin, The Isle of the Dead (1880)

Salvador Dalí, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) (1936)

Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare (1781)

Edvard Munch, Vampire (1893-1894)

Albert Pinkham Ryder, The Race Track (Death on a Pale Horse) (1895-1910)

David Wojnarowicz, Fire (1987)

Andrew Wyeth, Jack Be Nimble (1976)

Wyeth’s Halloween pumpkins are probably the tamest visuals in the bunch, but the most overtly Halloween-ish. Wyeth loves Halloween so much that I couldn’t leave him off this list. He’ll have a tough time contending for the title against such masters of the nightmarish as Blake, Dali, and Fuseli. I threw Bocklin and Wojnarowicz into the mix because their works are especially memorable to me. I’ve seen The Isle of the Dead in person at the Met and can tell you it’s even spookier when you’re standing right there in front of it.

So, be true to your ghoul and vote for the frightfulest one of all.