Updated: La fin de l'empire art in Venice

So I'm driving home this evening, listening to Public Radio, when this story comes on, talking about the Venice Biennale art exhibit now going in in Italy.

What caught my ear was the description of this piece:

It depicts an overturned U.S. tank, from the Korea-era, with an exercise treadmill perched on top.  This sort of decadent, politicized art is ten a penny in the contemporary art scene.  But this piece was sponsored by the U.S. State Department as part of the official U.S. Pavilion at the exhibit.  It's part of a larger exhibit called Gloria, by two artists living in Puerto Rico.

On the radio, a State Department flack went on about how the art demonstrates Obama's "soft/smart diplomatic" approach.  I have to agree:  the overturned tank probably does line up with Obama's view of diplomacy.

In his own words,

"David Mees, the U.S. cultural attache in Rome, believes that Gloria offers more than just shock value.  It's actually an example of an underrated tool of foreign policy, he says — something the administration refers to as 'soft diplomacy.' "

Words fail me.

But the New York Times found many words to describe the art, all favorable.