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Michellepollino's avatar

Fantastic piece and it makes me world worry as the MFA Boston is not the only arts institution overrun by the New Blue Bloods, suckling on the teats of this post George Floyd 2020 world decree there be only one type of racism. What is wild is what you said, what makes art great is its innate complexity, its ability to hold opposing truths all at once. Yet these curators and managers just want to sing the virtue hymnal.

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Jack Miamensis's avatar

On one level, the sorry saga of the Guston show is a case of art world people trying way too hard to both prove and flaunt their supposed sociopolitical virtue, which clearly took precedence over (and overshadowed) the art as such. Needless to say, this represents a serious conflict of interests, at least assuming that those involved are truly serious about their ostensible jobs. 

As for Holland (for whom Netherlands may be more suitable), it’s not as if past performance promised much better (Pulitzer notwithstanding), but one would think he could have managed to sound somewhat less predictable, by-the-book and housebroken. But yes, his take is par for his course.

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