Although The New Criterion has never before published a special art section, there is a sense in which we like to think that every issue has contained one. From our first number, in September 1982, we have consistently devoted a great deal of attention to the visual arts, both to the contemporary art scene and to historical exhibitions.

From the beginning, what we have tried to offer is not simply coverage but criticism. By “criticism” we mean “discrimination,” that is, informed judgments of value. The word “discrimination” has had a hard time of it in our culture lately. This is partly, of course, because of its use in the phrase “racial discrimination.” By a process of linguistic seepage, heavily abetted by laziness, “discrimination” became associated with bigotry. In fact, honest discrimination is a powerful antidote to bigotry, since it subjects unconsidered judgments to the illuminations of ...

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