Some years ago, I walked into Donald Rumsfeld’s office, and he said, “She’s an art historian, you know.” I knew. I had known Victoria Coates for a long time. She got her Ph.D. in art history at Penn. She also taught there. Then she went to work for Rumsfeld.
She also worked for Rick Perry. And is now employed by Ted Cruz, as (in effect) his national-security adviser. And she is my guest on a new Q&A.
She has just published a book, David’s Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art. She and I talk about David, of course, and some other Davids. And about the Parthenon, and Monet’s water lilies, and Picasso. We also talk about some big art-historical names of the past: Gombrich, Schapiro.
How about one of the present? Paul Johnson? He is a Renaissance man, who has written a book, among his scores, on the Renaissance.
Toward the end of our discussion, Victoria and I talk about Rumsfeld. And Perry. And Iran. And North Korea. We end a bit apocalyptically, as I often do on these podcasts. (WFB might say, “Can you be a bit apocalyptical?” And then he’d probably say yes.)
If Ted Cruz is elected president, Victoria Coates will be very well known, I wager. There will be articles about her entitled “Queen Victoria.” You can say you knew her when — and that you learned from her, when reading her book, and when listening to our Q&A.
I have found her a totally delightful, refreshing person to know. I bet you’ll feel the same.
A Podcast with Victoria Coates, Conducted by Jay Nordlinger