philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott
@philipkennicott.bsky.social
5K followers 270 following 71 posts
Senior Art and Architecture Critic at The Washington Post, author of Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning (Norton).🐕🎹 https://www.philipkennicott.com/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/philip-kennicott/
www.philipkennicott.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · 2d
Don't miss the astonishing cut-paper works of Johanna Koerten at the National Museum of Women in the Arts exhibition, "Women Artists From Antwerp to Amsterdam: 1600-1750." They are miraculous, fragile and rare, with only about 15 surviving. Three are on view. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Review | The Dutch Golden Age was women’s work, too
A new show at the National Museum of Women spotlights major talents “from Antwerp to Amsterdam.”
www.washingtonpost.com
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
karlgalle.bsky.social
Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 3d
Review of a new show on "Women Artists From Antwerp to Amsterdam: 1600-1750" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, by @philipkennicott.bsky.social: wapo.st/4o25hFw [gift link] #earlymodern
Review | The Dutch Golden Age was women’s work, too
A new show at the National Museum of Women spotlights major talents “from Antwerp to Amsterdam.”
wapo.st
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · 13d
More than a cheap metonym, deeper than a swamp... The Washington Post offers its 101 essential things (music, art,architecture, movies...) of, about or from Washington D.C. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
The 101 greatest movies, songs, books, artworks (and more!) about Washington, D.C.
Introducing the D.C. Canon, starring Chuck Brown, Olivia Pope, George Washington, Leonardo da Vinci, Duke Ellington, Rites of Spring and — who could forget? — Gort.
www.washingtonpost.com
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
snelsonus.bsky.social
Steven Nelson @snelsonus.bsky.social · 16d
@philipkennicott.bsky.social's astute observations on the Smithsonian's recently-ended exhibition, “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture.” This show, singled out by the Trump administration for its ideas on sculpture and race, was an extraordinary success. wapo.st/4nJuDbo
Column | An exemplary survey of race portends trouble for the Smithsonian
President Donald Trump singled out “The Shape of Power” for criticism, but the show was a success.
wapo.st
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
jeffrathke.bsky.social
Jeff Rathke @jeffrathke.bsky.social · 17d
Resonant essay by @philipkennicott.bsky.social in today’s WaPo. Great opening line:

“Leni Riefenstahl remains a problem to be solved, not because there’s any doubt about who she was, but because we are uncertain as to who we are.”

www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | More than two decades after her death, Leni Riefenstahl is still lying
A new documentary offers bracing lessons about demagogues and the people who serve them.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · 17d
The Smithsonian's Shape of Power exhibition, about race and American sculpture, was a particular target of the Trump administration. It was also exemplary as public education, history and curation. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | An exemplary survey of race portends trouble for the Smithsonian
President Donald Trump singled out “The Shape of Power” for criticism, but the show was a success.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · 17d
The eternal present of political narcissism, the way lies don't matter because there is no past to hold you to account and no future to judge the consequences. Riefenstahl tried to outrun her legacy, and she's running still. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | More than two decades after her death, Leni Riefenstahl is still lying
A new documentary offers bracing lessons about demagogues and the people who serve them.
www.washingtonpost.com
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
ionarts.bsky.social
Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 19d
Cannot recommend Philip Kennicott's article enough (in today's Style section of the Washington Post) on the history of a chilling, celebrated photograph and the government's possible attempt to remove it from display
philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · 21d
That anyone in the administration could even broach the idea of censoring this image is stunning. Audacious and ignorant. This is extraordinarily worrying when it comes to the "content review" at the Smithsonian and other institutions. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | Erasing this indelible image of slavery is a terrifying idea
The Trump administration’s reported effort to censor one of the iconic images of American history is a five-alarm fire.
www.washingtonpost.com
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
jonfischer.bsky.social
Jonathan L. Fischer @jonfischer.bsky.social · 21d
Trying to erase this photo is a terrifying idea, writes @philipkennicott.bsky.social in a powerful column www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | Erasing this indelible image of slavery is a terrifying idea
The Trump administration’s reported effort to censor one of the iconic images of American history is a five-alarm fire.
www.washingtonpost.com
1 2 6
philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · 21d
That anyone in the administration could even broach the idea of censoring this image is stunning. Audacious and ignorant. This is extraordinarily worrying when it comes to the "content review" at the Smithsonian and other institutions. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | Erasing this indelible image of slavery is a terrifying idea
The Trump administration’s reported effort to censor one of the iconic images of American history is a five-alarm fire.
www.washingtonpost.com
9 12
philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Sep 1
The administration's argument with art, playing out in its campaign against Smithsonian independence, also seems to be an argument with tradition, empathy and the core values of Christianity. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | His art is inspired by Rubens and Velazquez. Trump says it’s woke.
His art is inspired by Rubens and Valazquez. Trump says it’s woke.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Aug 27
Experts I asked about the Oval Office ornamentation and gilding mostly just laughed. But there are serious issues at stake, not least: What will the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom look like, and will the process be open and transparent? www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | When it comes to gilding the White House, Trump is just getting started
Ostentatious and anachronistic Oval Office changes don’t bode well for a 90,000-square-foot addition to the executive mansion.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Aug 22
Thinking about conspiracy theories, actual conspiracies and the troublesome problem of distinguishing between them. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | This 1848 painting has uncanny insight into American conspiracy thinking
Can a country born in conspiracy theories find the fine line between suspicion and paranoia?
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jul 30
Paranoia, trauma, ghosts and uncertainty: The Turn of the Screw at the @santafeopera

philipkennicott.substack.com/p/brittens-t...
Britten's "Turn of the Screw" at the Santa Fe Opera
We have options when it comes to Benjamin Britten’s "Turn of the Screw." We can let it be simply a ghost story, and set aside any concern with real-world verities and logic.
philipkennicott.substack.com
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
ripnewellstreetery.bsky.social
RIP Newell St Streetery @ripnewellstreetery.bsky.social · Jul 4
If people haven't been to the James A Garfield Memorial in Cleveland I highly recommend it. Architect George Keller designed a lavish and frankly bonkers Byzantine castle in the middle of a Cleveland cemetery, all to commemorate a president who's been completely forgotten by modern Americans
philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jul 4
For your Fourth of July amusement, a look at how the United States commemorates its dead presidents. First, with modest grave markers, then with sumptuous mausolea and memorials, and now with giant theme parks cum libraries. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | How assassinations and war changed how the U.S. remembers its presidents
The new book “American Shrines: The Architecture of Presidential Commemoration” surveys the history of presidential memorialization, a complicated tale.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jul 4
For your Fourth of July amusement, a look at how the United States commemorates its dead presidents. First, with modest grave markers, then with sumptuous mausolea and memorials, and now with giant theme parks cum libraries. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | How assassinations and war changed how the U.S. remembers its presidents
The new book “American Shrines: The Architecture of Presidential Commemoration” surveys the history of presidential memorialization, a complicated tale.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 28
The Met reopens its Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Review | The Met opens a dazzling wing of non-European art
The nation’s preeminent museum returns a stunning collection to view.
www.washingtonpost.com
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
ktumulty.bsky.social
Karen Tumulty @ktumulty.bsky.social · Jun 15
Why you should always read @philipkennicott.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | Trump wanted a military spectacle. Instead, he got a history lesson.
The parade must go on, and the Army sidestepped a major crisis of image and messaging.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 15
The Army dodged a crisis of image and messaging yesterday. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | Trump wanted a military spectacle. Instead, he got a history lesson.
The parade must go on, and the Army sidestepped a major crisis of image and messaging.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 14
So good to have the Frick back, with more to see in a more congenial home. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Review | At the Frick, a grand Gilded Age collection shows its intimate side
A five-year, $220-million expansions has transformed the Frick, without changing anything fundamental to the experience.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 11
Speaking with the PBS Newshour about the Smithsonian and the Trump administration's efforts to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Smithsonian board rejects Trump's attempt to fire top leader
The Smithsonian’s board of regents issued a statement on Monday declaring that “all personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the secretary, with oversight by the board.” It come...
www.pbs.org
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Reposted by Philip Kennicott
lisafung.bsky.social
Lisa Fung @lisafung.bsky.social · Jun 5
‘If the president succeeds in removing a key leader who is not accused of any professional or personal misconduct, he will effectively gain control over the content and mission of the entire Smithsonian.’

Via @philipkennicott.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | The Smithsonian faces an existential crisis. The world is watching.
Trump’s effort to oust the director of the National Portrait Gallery could give him absolute control over Smithsonian content.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 4
The Monday, June 9 meeting of the Smithsonian Board of Regents will determine the future independence of the Institution, and quite possibly the larger museum sector in the United States. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Column | The Smithsonian faces an existential crisis. The world is watching.
Trump’s effort to oust the director of the National Portrait Gallery could give him absolute control over Smithsonian content.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 3
So, the supposed financial problems at the Kennedy Center are real, and the result of the new leadership, not the leadership that was fired by Trump. "Mismanagement by the new leadership is becoming a real problem for the health of the organization..." www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Kennedy Center subscription sales fall 36 percent from previous year
Sales for ticket packages are down about $1.6 million year over year, a window into the arts center’s challenges following President Donald Trump’s takeover.
www.washingtonpost.com
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philipkennicott.bsky.social
Philip Kennicott @philipkennicott.bsky.social · Jun 2
"Andy Warhol in Iran" sets up a potentially powerful set of conflicts. It offers a history lesson. And it wants a sharper edge.

www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Review | ‘Andy Warhol in Iran’ searches for drama in a quirk of history
The Mosaic Theater production of Brent Askari’s play sets up a clash of art and politics.
www.washingtonpost.com
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