Coronavirus Pandemic: Why Museums Should Reopen Now

I’m irritated. I’m an art critic with an unorthodox point of view, so that’s not surprising. And my husband, who knows me best, would agree that my capacity to irritate ranks with the sun’s to warm. One much-adored friend, who’s known me for 30 years, said I was smug in my COVID-19 coverage. Another said I was too political. Why am I writing so much about it, anyway?

Well, it’s the biggest story of the year, and if there’s an angle, I’ll write about it. It’s certainly the biggest art story of the year. A toxic trio of government, press, and public-health bureaucrats — incompetent on nearly every level — fused its few remaining strands of skill and cunning to nuke the art world. Every museum and theater in the country is closed. Art finances are in the ICU, which Mr. Deficit, if he were in Vermont, would share with exactly zero COVID-19 patients.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

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I’m irritated. I’m an art critic with an unorthodox point of view, so that’s not surprising. And my husband, who knows me best, would agree that my capacity to irritate ranks with the sun’s to warm. One much-adored friend, who’s known me for 30 years, said I was smug in my COVID-19 coverage. Another said I was too political. Why am I writing so much about it, anyway?

Well, it’s the biggest story of the year, and if there’s an angle, I’ll write about it. It’s certainly the biggest art story of the year. A toxic trio of government, press, and public-health bureaucrats — incompetent on nearly every level — fused its few remaining strands of skill and cunning to nuke the art world. Every museum and theater in the country is closed. Art finances are in the ICU, which Mr. Deficit, if he were in Vermont, would share with exactly zero COVID-19 patients.