Last week, a final decision was rendered to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue in front of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The statue, on display since 1940, depicts the former president on a horse flanked by American Indians and African men at his sides.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 –1919) was a committed environmentalist in a time when advocating for such a cause was rare. Roosevelt was integral in advancing the AMNH’s core conservationist values, fundraising, and political support throughout his life. As a result, his name adorns many rooms inside the AMNH – and outside the cultural institution - at Theodore Roosevelt Park.

While being “green” was an anomaly when Roosevelt lived, unfortunately harboring racist views - and in many cases acting upon them - was unremarkable. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “It’s more important to tell the truth about the president — pleasant or unpleasant — than about anyone else.” Unfortunately, the truth is that Roosevelt’s moral compass was probably not above this regrettable norm in America’s history.

A Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers set up to examine sensitive city landmarks wrote:

“Height is power in public art, and Roosevelt’s stature on his noble steed visibly expresses dominance and superiority over the Native American and African figures.”

Coupled with some of Roosevelt’s viewpoints that would be interpreted as racist today, it is certainly understandable why some people would be offended by this monument.

The Left & The Right

Since the 1970s, the statue of Roosevelt on his horse has been defaced numerous times. At TQC, we reject defacing all public monuments as a form of protest. However, in some instances, we support removing monuments on public property if they are placed in an appropriate cultural institution for further historical study and reflection.

In our view, the left-wing protestors who deface & destroy statues - in some instances ripping them off their moorings, dragging them through the street, and tossing them into rivers or placing them in storage - are grossly misguided and doing the people they claim to be representing, a disservice. The right wing ideologues who argue that every statue on public land should stay put - not even moved to a historic institute - regardless of how abhorrent the subject’s past transgressions were, are insensitive and wrong not to consider other options for public viewing and education.

At The Quintessential Centrist, we always think of new and relevant ways to engage our readers and provoke meaningful dialogue. Music, film, theater and TV productions as well as other forms of media are some of the most powerful conduits that shape our culture. Artistic expressions are often a reflection of the society in which they’ve evolved, yet conversely serve as catalysts for influencing future cultural trends.

In 2020, TQC will occasionally offer thoughtful reviews of important films, music, television, art installations or theatrical releases that we believe harbor important themes or messages relevant to our cultural dialogue. The first two films we reviewed in 2020 were in fact released at the very end of 2019: The Two Popes, and Uncut Gems.

The Two Popes

The Two Popes is a semi-fictionalized account of conversations between former Pope Benedict XVI (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and the current pontiff, Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce). The two men, though ideologically opposed, discuss their concerns and hopes about the current state of the world, the church’s future and their own.

Irrespective of one’s views on the church, the papacy, or organized religion in general, this is undoubtedly a beautiful movie worth every accolade. The scoring, the cinematography, directing, dialogue, and above all, acting, are magnificent. Jonathan Pryce embodies the humble strength of then-archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and his delivery in Spanish, in Italian and Latin, with perfect dialect, is sublime. Sir Anthony Hopkins lives up to his past accolades with a performance that accurately conveys the sobriety of the former pope while surprising us with a touch of irony.

The film requires no suspension of disbelief as these two craftsmen embody their characters so effortlessly. For this alone, the movie is well worth viewing to absorb the fine performance of two brilliant actors. In an era where gratuitous violence, sexual content and vulgar language permeate most films, it is refreshing to see a movie that thoroughly entertains and delights without resorting to Hollywood trappings and other lowbrow optics.

The Catholic Church is currently the subject of much controversy. As such, there are challenges to separating art from the subject matter at hand. Some people argue that the current pope is too liberal, too political; others contend that the former pope was too conservative. In recent years we have become painfully aware of the various scandals, hypocrisies, and shortcomings that have cast serious aspersions on the sanctity of the Catholic Church. The Two Popes addresses these topics using an approach that satisfies movie buffs but likely will not satisfy church-detractors.

The exchange between the two Popes of different eras in a rapidly changing world where the Church is no longer as sanctified needs to be appreciated without vilification. The Two Popes serves as a reminder that there are many fine people who have dedicated their lives to serving God. Indeed, to only focus on the shortcomings of the church would miss the entire point of the movie itself, which, at its core, is a story of how even those who are ideologically opposed can open their hearts and minds to one another and form, even if at first grudgingly, respect and appreciation for the other’s point of view.

We will kick off our TQC Q&A Series with a question and answer session regarding the current environment of the art world, market, and related subject matter, with Suzanne Geiss. Ms. Geiss brings over 25 years’ experience in the industry advising ambitious private and corporate collections and curating gallery & museum exhibitions.

In 2010, Geiss founded the Suzanne Geiss Company, specializing in post-1960s artworks and private collection building paired with a dynamic public exhibition and performance program. In addition to her activities as a curator and consultant, Geiss currently serves as President of the Board of Performance Space New York and is pursuing a graduate degree in art, performance, and social justice.

tQc: Before delving into our subject matter, please share with us how you established yourself in the art business?

It was never my objective to be on the transactional/advisory side of the business and own a gallery. My intention was to be an artist. However, following my college graduation in order to convince my parents that I was doing something “productive”, I got a job at the Andre Emmerich Gallery on Manhattan's Upper East Side, as the receptionist.

It was the mid 1990's, the art market was experiencing a downturn; sales were few and far between. One afternoon a gentleman came in inquiring about works by Hans Hofmann. The gallery director thought it was just a "tire kicker" so they sent me - the receptionist - to deal with the visitor. I thought to myself, why are they sending in a 22-year-old to try and sell a painting, but I figured, what the hell, let me give it a go. So I picked out a Hans Hofmann painting, with a title that particularly resonated with me and I just riffed on it. To my own disbelief, and the disbelief of most of the other people that I worked with, I sold the painting for a record price (for a Hofmann) at the time. Magically, my title changed from secretary to "assistant director." It was a unique opportunity and one that would be unlikely to happen in today’s art world.

tQc: Generally, what are some of the biggest changes you have witnessed in the art business since beginning your career almost 30 years ago?

The art market has become more professionalized, more corporate. When I first entered the business, it was a much smaller ecosystem centered around a core group of collectors making Saturday afternoon gallery visits. Presently, collectors are increasingly using art as a financial instrument and thus require analysis based on criteria that is often mutually exclusive from the art itself.

Of course, the other big change has been on the technology side. The internet shifted the balance of power away from all but the very largest galleries. For the first time collectors could easily research and compare prices between galleries, access previous auction results, and observe what other market participants (collectors, speculators, dealers, etc) were collecting. Offering work through email was revolutionary. (Previously if you wanted to connect with a client outside your city you mailed them a slide or transparency)!

Lastly, social media has given artists a medium to connect directly with their audience, squeezing out more and more intermediaries.

tQc: “Conservatism” and art seem to be at loggerheads. Can an individual be both "conservative" and "accepted" in the art world today? If so, how? If not, do you consider that hypocritical of what the art world espouses to be?

Good question and not one I’ve been asked before. Thinking about “conservatism," well yes, it seems to be diametrically opposed to art. I am generalizing here but I think it’s fair to say that most artists are interested in more progressive issues, while some collectors land on the more conservative end of the spectrum. That said, the art world is unique because you have a place where these communities come together. Artists are often at the forefront of social and political engagement putting them in a position to be effective change agents. Sometimes (again I want to be clear that this is an oversimplification, I’ve met and dealt with many progressive collectors) collectors are at the other end of the social or political spectrum. Art provides an opportunity for people that might not otherwise mingle to do so. That is wonderful.

“I'm Casey Kasem.” That simple phrase was a mainstay of the 1980’s. It marked the beginning of Casey Kasem’s weekly radio show, American Top 40 (AT40). For a few hours each week, Kasem commanded the attention of music fans across America as he counted down the top 40 hits in the USA. During his show, Kasem intertwined a treasure chest of music and biographical trivia. Each week, he chose a letter from a fan and read it on the air. Indeed, Kasem had an uncanny ability to weave a cheesy, poorly written letter, into a heartfelt story that captivated his listeners. At its conclusion, Kasem would call out the author by name, “…Katie in Nebraska…Robert in Wyoming…”etc, and dedicate a song to them. After the countdown was complete, Kasem signed-off the same way each week, reminding his audience to "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

An Abbreviated History

Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem was born on April 27, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. His initial foray into radio was at Northwestern High School where he announced sports. After high school, Kasem attended Wayne State University where he pursued a degree in education. He was drafted into the military in 1952 and subsequently sent to Korea where he served as the DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Following the Korean War, Kasem toiled at several different radio stations and locations including WJBK in Detroit, WBNY in Buffalo, KYA in San Francisco, and KRLA in Los Angeles. He also appeared on screen securing bit parts in a few low budget films and appeared on network TV, in Hawaii-Five-O. While hosting a TV show on a local station, Dick Clark noticed him and offered him a position to host a teenage music show. It was, however, Kasem’s voice that would be his ticket to success. In 1969, he landed a role that would make him famous, serving as the voice of Shaggy on the popular show, Scooby-Doo. In the 1970’s, the decade AT40 was born, Kasem continued acting, doing voiceovers and narrating.

American Top 40

In 1970, Casey Kasem co-founded and launched American Top 40. The show was initially aired on seven stations and soon thereafter went nationwide. Since its inception, AT40 has experienced multiple iterations. Kasem hosted the show from 1970 to 1988 and from 1998 to 2004 (he was replaced by Shadoe Stevens in 1988 because of a contract dispute). In 2004, Ryan Seacrest took over and is the current host of AT40. However, the apex of the show's success was in the decade of the 80’s