Ouroussoff Hits Libeskind Below the Belt

I can’t judge Nicolai Ouroussoff‘s very mixed review to appear in tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) NY Times, of Daniel Libeskind‘s addition to the Denver Art Museum, because I last saw the building more than a year ago, while it was under construction. But I can comment on his negative personal appraisal of Libeskind in the lead paragraph:
He has suffered humiliation in his role as master planner at ground zero, not so much for his design as his consistent refusal to stand up for it.
Maybe Ouroussoff feels that Libeskind should feel mortified by his situation and should inveigh against those who put him in it. But I have heard both he and his wife speak on the subject of Ground Zero, and both seem intent on putting the best face on the situation, staying in the picture as much as they still can, and not griping about something over which, through no fault of their own, they have no control.
Maybe Ouroussoff calls that humiliation. I call it taking your lumps, making the best of a bad situation, and getting on with your life’s work.
For CultureGrrl‘s reports on (and links to) Denver appraisals by other big-name critics, go here and here.