Alice Denney, Washington’s impresario of the experimental, dies at 101

November 30, 2023 12:35 PM

She invigorated a staid if not stodgy arts scene as one of the city’s first and most prominent champions of the avant-garde With only minimal formal training in the arts, she became an impresario of the experimental in a city where, as a writer for The Washington Post once put it, “a sculpture with a naked derrière is still considered terribly avant.” She looked beyond the classically beautiful and politically bland, challenging curators, collectors, donors and the public to embrace art that was new, daring and at times provocative.
posted by wicked_sassy (4 comments total)

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She clearly made Washington DC a more interesting place. Making the world richer in culture and art is a great way to spend your life, and I’m glad she made the most of her opportunity to do so.
posted by Kattullus at 1:19 PM on November 30, 2023

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I think of her in the same breath as Zelda Fichandler (WaPo gift link), who founded Arena Stage and shook, rattled and rolled the DC theatre scene. Similarly, she lived to old age and never slowed down for an instant.
posted by Pallas Athena at 1:27 PM on November 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

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posted by humbug at 4:20 PM on November 30, 2023

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posted by adekllny at 5:33 PM on December 2, 2023