Michael Kimmelman takes Venice

It would be too simple and a bit hysterical to say simply that Michael Kimmelman is a racist: his glibly wielded critical wand has so many other significant deficiencies, but in his latest effort at “covering” the Venice Biennale, Kimmelman mentions that he is disappointed by the Chinese pavilion, but does not include a single name of a Chinese artist. Although he proposes that this Biennale is all about an international perspective and the global village, it is apparent that while Kimmelman may have travelled from New York, he has never left the art world. He listens to the “buzz” on Venetian streets only to find those views confirmed by his own views. So instead of calling him a racist, or anti-Chinese (which would simply inflame nationalist tendencies already on the rise) let us just say that Kimmelman is a sloppy journalist with little editorial oversight. Thanks again New York Times for setting the bar so low: and once again, I have to ask, if the Times covers art in this manner how in God’s name can we trust them to cover issues about which one knows much less, such as the war in Iraq or Tom Delay’s malfeasance?