The MAGA Theory of Art
In the ARTnews opinion piece “The MAGA Theory of Art,” the author argues that a long-standing idea—articulated by figures such as Susan Sontag in “Fascinating Fascism” and theorized by Walter Benjamin—that fascism powerfully “aestheticizes politics” is often contrasted with what the essay portrays as the Trump administration’s more grotesque, farcical visual culture. The article cites examples including a “ham-handed takeover of the Kennedy Center,” “tawdry gilding of the Oval Office,” and the spread of “AI slop,” while also emphasizing continuities in political theater and media spectacle. It references Jean Genet’s line “Fascism is theater,” notes Trump’s affinity for pageantry and social-media-driven publicity, and draws on historian Jonathan Petropoulos’s account of Nazi-era art collecting as a bid for elite cultural capital to frame MAGA’s relationship to cultural institutions and gatekeepers.
From This Briefing
This story was covered in Pop Icons, Print Power, and Culture Wars