Critic and art historian speaks on art, architecture and democracy

Art historian and critic Brian T. Allen will examine how critics, curators, funders, artists and the broader public judge the quality of art and architecture in a talk on Monday, October 19 at 5:30 p.m. in Statler Hall, Rm. 291. "Who Decides What's Good? Art, Architecture, and Democracy" is sponsored by the Program on Freedom and Free Societies (F&FS) and is free and open to the general public. It will also be livestreamed; register for the livestream.

"Brian is ideally qualified to discuss this subject," said Michael Fontaine, professor of classics in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of F&FS. "In addition to being a critic and art historian, as well as a museum director and curator, he has worked in practical politics. He is a man with definite opinions, reasonably expressed."

Allen notes that beauty, craftsmanship, originality and a work's relationship to artistic tradition have long served as central - if now contested - standards, especially in public spaces or work supported by public funds. Today, the identity of the artist and the social or political significance of the subject often play a larger role. "Who decides what's good?" becomes urgent in a democracy when the work in question helps shape the shared public realm.

In his talk, Allen will explore who should shape that public realm and by what standards: architects and cultural institutions, elected officials or citizens themselves? Drawing on exhibitions he has admired and abhorred, current disputes over Washington's civic architecture, and debates about government involvement in the arts, Allen will weigh the new standards against the old and consider what happens when expertise, democratic authority, and popular judgment point in different directions.

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.