Hilton Kramer, co-founder of The New Criterion, passed away this morning of heart failure. His death comes two days after his 84th birthday.

Kramer spent many years as an art critic first at The Nation and then at The New York Times. Unhappy with the left-wing dogma which prevaded arts and culture (and still does), Kramer left The Gray Lady in 1982 and founded The New Criterion along with pianist Samuel Lipman.

The arts belong to all of us and there are few things I despise more than when people suggest that the Left have a monopoly on music, literature, drama, dance, painting and sculpting. Over the years, when I have been asked about conservative poetry or conservative poetry journals all I need to say is The New Criterion and that pretty much ends the discussion. We should all be grateful to Hilton Kramer for helping to provide an outlet for conservatives who love the arts.

Let me leave you with a tribute from his longtime friend and co-editor Roger Kimball and an article written by Kramer in the September 1998 issue of The New Criterion titled, “The betrayal of liberalism” which is well worth our time and attention.