Dr. Sam Ben- Meir

To Let Suffering Speak: Käthe Kollwitz at the Museum of Modern Art

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The Käthe Kollwitz exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art is a reminder of why art exists, and, at its best, what makes it of timeless, universal value. Kollwitz’s work fulfills the condition of truth, which as Theodor Adorno observed, is to let suffering speak. Or in her own words: “I felt that I have no right to withdraw from the responsibility of being an advocate. It is my duty to voice the sufferings of men, the never-ending sufferings heaped mountain-high.” Her work also compels us to reflect on the nature of feminism, especially as it relates to art.

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Metropolitan Museum of Art

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American Ceramics at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sam Ben-Meir - October 18, 2021

Gifts from the Fire: American Ceramics from the Collection of Martin Eidelberg, is worth a visit, at a minimum to appreciate the five pieces (four vases and a pitcher) from the hands of George E. Ohr (1857-1918), the self-proclaimed "Mad Potter of Biloxi.” While there are other pieces that capture the eye – the extraordinary glazes, and incandescent surfaces of Adelaide Also Robineau’s Three Vases (1905) come to mind – Ohr’s work is the jewel of the show.

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The Authoritarian Personality and Rise of Right-Wing Extremism

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The Authoritarian Personality and Rise of Right-Wing Extremism Sam Ben-Meir - September 6, 2021

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