Category: Kitsch

Kitsch and Our Taste for the Ugly

Commentary In the unlikely event that I were to become rich, my first act of philanthropy would be to found a National Museum of Kitsch with free entry to the public. I am undecided whether I would place kitsch objects next to beautiful ones to drive home the intended lesson, or to allow the kitsch…


Roadside Kitsch Helps Tell America’s Story

A 65-foot-tall elephant named Lucy stands near the sea in New Jersey, as she has for 140 years. Giant blueberries are scattered about a field in Maine. Visitors to Long Beach, Washington, come face to face with a two-headed calf, cycloptic lamb, and mummified half man-half alligator. If the thought of catching a bit of…