>This weekend, while reading something or other, I discovered that
>Ernst Gombrich, the art historian, Karl Popper the philosopher, and
>Friedrich Hayek the economist all knew each other and were
>friends. Their shared intellectual connection was none other than a
>profound distaste for Hegel and of course
>Marxism.
That explains this exchange from an interview with Gombrich in ArtForum. I never understood where this disdain came from. Gombrich also speaks here as if he never really read Benjamin's essay:
>The most frequently referred to essay in American art criticism is
>probably Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical
>Reproduction." I don't think you ever mention it.
>
>EG: No, because I think it's absolutely wrong from beginning to end.
>The reason is quite simple. A Rembrandt etching is also a mechanical
>reproduction.
The way you describe your initial exposure to art history it doesn't sound like Benjamin was the most quoted at the time.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_n6_v34/ai_18163694/pg_6