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Aristos is an online journal that reviews the arts and the philosophy of art. It is edited by founder and publisher Louis Torres and associate editor Michelle Marder Kamhi. Aristos is funded by The Aristos Foundation, Inc.

Aristos promotes a rare point of view in journals of its kind, as it advocates for objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism, arguing that art can and should be objectively defined.

Compilations of Aristos articles have been used to create a book, What Art Is: The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand, a project of Aristos editors Torres and Kamhi. What Art Is introduces Ayn Rand's little-known theory of art, and debunks the work of prominent modernist and postmodernist artists.

Aristos has been bestowing The Aristos Awards since 2006, honoring individuals and publications who reflect the Aristos editorial philosophy.

Editorial Philosophy
Aristos advocates for objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism. They are critical of works they view as "increasingly bizarre and meaningless...promoted in the name of art since the early years of the twentieth century -- from abstract painting and sculpture through the seemingly endless concoctions of postmodernism."

The Aristos editorial viewpoint is broadly influenced by Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, though Aristos does not uncritically accept all of her ideas. Their stated aim is "to present well-reasoned commentary on the arts, and on the philosophy of art, for a broad audience of general readers and scholars."

History
Aristos was founded in 1982 by editor and publisher Louis Torres. Michelle Marder Kamhi joined as associate editor in 1984, and became co-editor in 1992. Aristos was originally a six page periodical, and was produced sporatically for the first 15 years of its publication.

In the fall of 1997, editors Kamhi and Torres suspended publication of Aristos to complete What Art Is: The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand. By January 2002, Torres and Kamhi announced that the publication of Aristos would be suspended indefinitely in order to devote their full time to projects evolving from What Art Is.

In 2003, the editors moved Aristos online and resumed publication.

Reception
Bill Katz of the Library Journal deemed it of "value . . . particularly as the point of view is unique...controversial and combative."

Magazines for Libraries observed that Aristos was "not just a passive, idealistic publication but vigorously challenged modernist scholars and critics...A scholarly but gutsy little periodical that, because it argues an unfashionable thesis, should be part of serious collections."

Aristos is recognized by the American Society for Aesthetics in their online directory.

The Aristos Awards
The Aristos Awards, established in 2006, are given to individuals and publications that express support for objectivity in arts criticism, scholarship or commentary.

According to The Aristos Foundation, such objectivity "involves the recognition (usually implicit) that art has a particular nature, and that the art of the present necessarily bears a fundamental similarity to the art of the past." At present, Aristos Awards recipients receive a citation in Aristos or in What Art Is.

Well-known recipients include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George Will, Calvin and Hobbes author Bill Watterson, best-selling author Tom Wolfe and journalist Lionel Shriver. Publications such as National Review and New York Daily News have also received the award for their editorial viewpoints.

Controversy
Aristos associated editor Michelle Marder Kamhi claimed the National Art Education Association hijacks art for the purpose of political indoctrination in the April 2010 edition of Aristos.

An abbreviated version of this essay appeared in the Wall Street Journal and provoked controversy.

Various leaders in the art world condemned the article. Richard Kessler, the executive director of the Center for Arts Education in New York, denounced Kamhi as "The Joe McCarthy of Art Education," and dismissed her concerns as red herrings.

Others, such as Florida art teacher Samuel Frazer, wrote that he agreed with Kamhi.