Critic Angelo Argento declares contemporary art criticism dead, replaced by apologetics

In an opinion piece on Artribune, critic and lawyer Angelo Argento argues that contemporary art criticism has died, having abandoned judgment in favor of apologetics. Citing an article by Alfonso Berardinelli in Il Foglio and discussions on Artribune, Argento contends that critics no longer evaluate works but instead justify them, serving the art system rather than the public. He claims criticism has become a form of specialized storytelling, where interpretation replaces judgment, and the critic acts as a priest translating works into initiatory language. Argento warns that without explicit, debatable criteria, critical authority dissolves, leading to a 'cultural democratura' where consensus is enforced through language rather than debate. He asserts that when criticism abdicates judgment, any opinion becomes equivalent, not due to populism but because competence has ceased to manifest. The piece concludes that the difference between a viewer and a critic is now merely one of role, not stature. Argento is a lawyer, professor of Cultural Heritage Legislation at Brera Academy of Fine Arts, and president of Cultura Italiae, an NGO recognized by UNESCO.