By the time they met (1979), he had concluded that the West was in decline. In 1973 he
had delivered a series of lectures at the National Gallery of Art (dealing in part with the
avant-garde), published as The Use and Abuse of Art, Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1974 <http://tinyurl.com/Barzun-UseAndAbuse> [search for avant-garde and see
esp. 14, 51, and 137]. See the retroactive Aristos Award for the book at <http://www
.aristos.org/aris-award-3.htm#Barzun-1974>. See also From Dawn to Decadence: 500
Years of Western Cultural Life, Barzun’s magnum opus, published in 2000, esp. 643–651
and 713–732. I dedicate this essay to his memory.- More Matter and Less Art: The Pernicious
Role of the Artist in Twentieth-Century
Visual Art - October 31st, 2014 (the 497th anniversary of Luther’s posting the original ninety-
five Theses) I posted fifty-five theses on the front door of the Museum of Modern Art
in New York, challenging them to debate the very nature of visual art. Even though
Glenn Lowry’s assistant recognized me, the institution has stonewalled any further
response, hoping the whole matter will go away. Obviously, public opposition to this will
make it impossible. A copy of the fifty-five theses is on my webpage <www.geoffbent
.com> under “Writing Samples.” If you think a debate on these issues will be worth-
while, email a line or two to [email protected] or write him at Glenn Lowry, MoMA,
11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019. You can’t pretend to be the world forum on
all things visual and ignore the occasional dissenting opinion. Thanks for your help!
228 Notes to Pages 185–193