Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout took after two liberal New York Times art critics who disapproved of the new plaza in front of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, named for one David H. Koch. (He donated $65 million for the space, including more trees and twin fountains.) He headlined the article "The Case of the Satanic Philanthropist."
Roberta Smith tweeted:
"Met-Koch Plaza is the public space equivalent of Diet Coke. Nutritional benefit for society: much less than zero."
Teachout said Mr. Kimmelman's two tweets “were even more sulfurous”:
"Why are there not more protests against tasteless new Met Museum plaza, paid for [by] and named after David Koch."
"'Gross combination of big money and low culture,' points out protester at Met's Koch plaza. Too true."
Teachout thinks that this whole lining up with the demonizations of Harry Reid carries no nuance whatseover.
But the Kochs have other interests as well, certain of which may not have been drawn quite so aggressively to your attention. The younger Mr. Koch, for instance, is a free-spending supporter of gay marriage and marijuana legalization, as well as one of the most openhanded philanthropists of his generation. His many causes include medical research, to which he has donated some $395 million. In addition, he pledged $100 million toward the renovation of Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, the home of the New York City Ballet, which has since been renamed the David H. Koch Theater....
I haven't been to Koch Plaza yet, and so have no opinion of its architectural merits. But I have strong opinions about the New York City Ballet, which was co-founded by George Balanchine, the greatest choreographer of the 20th century. I therefore invite Mr. Kimmelman and Ms. Smith to announce their intention to boycott the company's performances of Balanchine's ballets until Mr. Koch's name is sandblasted at high noon from the exterior of its theater. While they're at it, they might also solemnly swear never to seek treatment at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, to which he has given a "big-money" gift totaling well over $100 million—and you, too, if you're similarly inclined to sneer at the gifts of gazillionaires who make other donations at which you turn up your nose.
