Christopher Knight is an art critic for the Los Angeles Times. Knight is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 1991, 2001 and 2007. A highlight in Knight's work is when he became the first journalist in more than 25 years to win the 1997 Frank Jewett Mather Award from the College Art Association for his distinction in art criticism. He has appeared on many documentaries, including CBS’ “60 Minutes,” PBS’ “NewsHour,” NPR's “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered”. Knight was also featured in the 2009 documentary movie about the controversial relocation of the Barnes Foundation’s art collection, “The Art of the Steal.”
Visiting art pieces and museums inspires Knight to write his opinion and criticism on the art pieces. In 2018, Knight has already reviewed the King Tut exhibit, the "City and Cosmos: The Arts of Teotihuacan" exhibition, and other galleries.
Knight's audience most likely consists of middle aged people who enjoy art, visiting museums, and traveling. Knight's audience is wide spread geographically since the location of art exhibits that he critics are not limited and narrow. Knight's reviews ranges from local galleries, such as the Diane Rosenstein Gallery in Los Angeles, to exhibits outside of the United states, such as the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. It could also be assumed that Knight's articles attract tourists who are interested in visiting a museum/ gallery located in a certain area. Readers of his reviews/ criticism may also be fellow art critics.
The purpose of Knight's writing is to share his thoughts, opinions, and criticism on art to a large audience. Knight has strong passion for art and it shows in his writing. Knight's style of writing is very descriptive. He incorporates many adjectives into his sentences. An example of this would be in his article "Gisela Colon's monolithic mysteries and playful wall 'pods'" when he describes the 'pods' as "10 wall-bound "pods" in a variety of whimsical, organic shapes — lozenges, softened trapezoids and freeform globules — as if conceived with a kid's giant bubble wand. Most sport a multicolored nucleus made from layers of colored plastics, which glows brightly if mysteriously within the paler milky form". Lastly, Knight's tone is sincere but critical. He compliments art pieces as well as criticize them. This is clearly shown in his article "Sol LeWitt and 'Conceptual Feedback' at Honor Fraser Gallery" when he speaks pleasantly about Rachel DuVall's tapestry that is "loose, fine-spun weave of natural and indigo-dyed linen at the service of a strict, geometric pattern of beige rectangles and mottled color bars. Long fringe hanging across the bottom is like an unraveling marker of temporal fragility". However, in the same article he criticized Eleven by Sarah Cain, Kate Costello, Victoria Fu, etc., for being "a bit too small for the three reasonable curatorial categories..."