Letters to the Editor: ‘Trump will never be able to truly destroy art that he does not like’

To the editor: Kudos to columnist Patt Morrison for her timely reminder that art censorship has long been a tool of authoritarian government (“‘Degenerate’ or ‘woke,’ Paris museum exhibit shows what happens to art in the crosshairs of politics,” May 7). During the American culture wars in 1991, LACMA curator Stephanie Barron organized the first major exhibition about Nazi art policy, “‘Degenerate Art’: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany.” Today, several intimate theaters are presenting anti-authoritarian plays in Los Angeles as part of Reflections on Art and Democracy. These local artists can afford to be bold because most of them don’t receive federal funding. Keep resisting, Los Angeles artists!

Tom Jacobson, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Thank you, Morrison, for comparing President Trump’s “improper ideology” art obsession to Adolf Hitler’s “degenerate” art obsession. Isn’t the purpose of art to reflect humanity? Isn’t the purpose of art to encourage dialogue? Isn’t the purpose of art to share our creative endeavors? Hitler could not destroy art that he did not like. Trump will never be able to truly destroy art that he does not like.

Susan Kogan, Rancho Mission Viejo