Monuments Men
February 10, 2014 · Magazine, Bruce Cole, Books and Arts
"Historical treasure. Do not enter.”
Art Historian and Cultural Critic
Bruce Cole
4 articles 2011–2014
Bruce Cole is an art historian and author who served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2001 to 2009. He contributed articles to The Weekly Standard between 2011 and 2014, writing on topics related to art, monuments, and cultural heritage.
Doing Right by Ike
July 2, 2012 · Magazine, Bruce Cole
Only in Washington: After 12 years of study and millions of dollars spent, a congressionally appointed commission has yet to break ground on the National Mall for a memorial to President Dwight David Eisenhower. The memorial, which could cost American taxpayers up to $142 million—yes, you read that…
White House Objects
February 4, 2012 · Magazine, Bruce Cole, White House
As British troops reached Washington on August 24, 1814, Dolley Madison was emptying the President’s House. As she packed up the silver and drapery, the object she most wanted to rescue was causing trouble: Gilbert Stuart’s full-length portrait of George Washington. So firmly was this fastened to…
Dances with Buffalos
November 21, 2011 · Magazine, American history, Bruce Cole
If there were a truth-in-advertising regulation for exhibitions, this latest at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum would be in trouble. The exhibition is not in a hall, nor is it about wonders, nor really about art. What it is, sadly, is yet another example of how tone deaf this national museum…