Tom Wolfe, author of 'The Painted Word' and 'Radical Chic,' dies at 88 in New York

Tom Wolfe, the American writer and journalist known for coining the term 'New Journalism' and for his sharp critiques of contemporary art and society, died at age 88 at Manhattan Hospital from an infection. Born Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. on March 2, 1931, in Richmond, Virginia, he was a key figure in the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s, alongside Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, and Gay Talese. Wolfe coined the term 'New Journalism' in a 1973 essay collection. In his 1975 book 'The Painted Word' (translated in Italy as 'Come ottenere il successo in arte'), he criticized avant-garde art and its gatekeepers, specifically Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, and Leo Steinberg, calling them elitist and undemocratic. He also famously coined the phrase 'Radical Chic' after a January 14, 1970, Manhattan party hosted by Leonard Bernstein's wife to support the Black Panthers, later writing 'Radical Chic: The Fascinating Irresistible Charm of Salon Revolutionaries.' In a recent interview with La Repubblica, Wolfe linked the phenomenon to the rise of Donald Trump. Wolfe also wrote on architecture and museums, notably 'From Bauhaus to Our House' (in Italy 'Maledetti Architetti!'), critiquing the International Style, and 'Museums: The New Cathedrals,' co-written with architect Charles Jencks. His other famous works include 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' (1968), 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' (1987), and 'Bloody Reasons' (2012).