Beaux Arts Magazine critiques contemporary art criticism's decline while comparing Mickalene Thomas and Noel W. Anderson

The April 2026 issue of Beaux Arts Magazine (issue 502) examines the disappearance of substantive negative art criticism. The publication contrasts contemporary practices with historical precedents, noting that 19th-century critics like Charles Baudelaire and Joris-Karl Huysmans delivered scathing assessments of artists including Horace Vernet, Paul Delaroche, Alexandre Cabanel, and Auguste Renoir. Today's art world lacks comparable critical rigor despite more violent contemporary controversies. The article specifically critiques Mickalene Thomas's Grand Palais exhibition, describing her works as visually overloaded with fluorescent cubism and kitsch. Noel W. Anderson emerges favorably in comparison for his tapestries addressing police confrontations and systemic racism. Tschabalala Self also receives mention for her sewn-and-painted collage figures that problematize Black embodiment. The piece observes that informed, coherent viewpoints now primarily appear on blogs or in confidential newsletters rather than mainstream publications. French journalists increasingly focus only on what excites them due to limited media space for contemporary art. Historical critics like Émile Zola and Olivier Cena exemplified more decisive critical positions that contemporary discourse lacks.