Inquirer Art Critic Edward J. Sozanski Dead at 77


Sad news about 30-year art critic Edward J. Sozanski from The Inquirer:

Edward J. Sozanski, 77, art critic for The Inquirer who, over the course of three decades, became a major figure in describing and documenting the city’s cultural transformation from regional by-way to national mainstage, died suddenly Tuesday in Gladwyne of as-yet-undetermined causes.

Whether writing about America’s first sculptor, William Rush, or art from Korea’s Joseon Dynasty or the way John Cage’s musical “scores” looked on the page, Mr. Sozanski always sought to directly engage the art and to provide his readers with an utterly independent critical judgment.

And despite his substantial stature and influence as a critic, his focus always remained on the integrity of the art; he was not distracted by institutional marketing efforts or by the city’s cultural boosterism.

Find the rest of Sozanki’s obituary here.