When I was an intern at the Dallas Museum of Art, the museum attempted to buy at auction A Grand View of the Seashore, a large seascape painted around 1774 by the French artist Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714-1789). This wasn’t any ordinary art purchase. A Grand View of the Seashore is actually the companion piece to… Continue reading Thinking (and Reading) About Cultural Politics
Month: August 2020
Thinking (and Reading) About Museums
Last week we explored the art of the New Deal era, from Holger Cahill’s exhibition writings to more recent works exploring the political dimensions of 1930s art. Today, we’ll be considering a topic that has played a seminal role in my professional and personal life: museums. Most broadly, the texts I’ve been working through are… Continue reading Thinking (and Reading) About Museums
Thinking (and Reading) About the Art of the 1930s
We have reached the final list for my comprehensive exams: American art history. For the next few weeks, we’ll take a look at what I’ve been reading about art history, beginning with today’s post on the 1930s. Many of the works I have been reading have delved into the political nature of 1930s American art.… Continue reading Thinking (and Reading) About the Art of the 1930s
Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist
As part of our ongoing work to challenge racism, this month we’re going to be taking a look at Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist. First, a little about Kendi himself, because this book is closely linked to his life and work. Kendi is a historian, professor, and antiracist activist. He is… Continue reading Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist