"The Washington Post has laid off Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Sebastian Smee and made sweeping employee cuts across its Arts section in what's been described as a "bloodbath" at the Jeff Bezos-owned paper. All of the paper's staff photographers were also eliminated, raising questions about the future of the paper's visual strategy. Staffers began receiving layoff notices on Wednesday, February 4, after weeks of rumors of a mass downsizing."
"Smee, an Australian-born critic best known for his writing on modern and contemporary art, joined the Post staff in January 2018. He was previously at the Boston Globe and the Australian. He has written several books on art history, including his most recent title, Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism, published in 2024. Smee received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2011."
Mass layoffs at the Washington Post eliminated roughly one-third of staff—over 300 employees—and removed entire desks including Books, Sports, and international coverage. The Arts section suffered major cuts, with Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Sebastian Smee laid off and multiple critics, editors, and reporters impacted. The paper eliminated its in-house photojournalism team, raising questions about its visual strategy. Senior Art and Architecture Critic Philip Kennicott remains on staff. Former theater critic Naveen Kumar announced availability for new opportunities. The cuts follow weeks of rumors and layoff notices beginning February 4.
Read at Hyperallergic
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