The Art Newspaper

Saltz challenges Beck to a battle of the arts

By The Art Newspaper. From In The Frame
Published online: 04 September 2009

No one likes a critic, especially one who has no background in the subject he's talking about, so it's no wonder art critics lashed out against conservative television pundit Glenn Beck when he tried his hand this week at analysing the art in Rockefeller Plaza. Claiming the Art Deco wall reliefs carved on the buildings actually contain hidden communist and fascist symbolism—how does one become both communist and fascist anyway? Aren’t the two mutually exclusive?—Beck went on a tirade about Obama’s own use of art as propaganda and his plans to indoctrinate the Youth of America, comparing the President to Mussolini. Coming to the defense of art, New York magazine critic, Jerry Saltz, has issued a challenge to Beck to step up and curate two exhibitions himself: “The first, images (or actual artworks) that exist in New York City that he would like to see demolished. He could call it Degenerative Art. The second, a show of contemporary art that he approves of.” And Saltz even promises to secure “a first-rate New York venue” for each exhibition and write about each show. We, for one, hope Beck takes up the challenge, if only to see what kind of art he actually likes.