Front Page of the Art World: What’s Hot & What’s Not — 25 Feb 2022
Front Page of the Art World: What’s Hot & What’s Not — 25 Feb 2022
What’s on the front page news of the art world? Read on to discover what’s hot and what’s not this week — from the hyperlocal to the global.
Oh no, oy vey! Here we go again. As Omicron cases skyrocket in New Zealand, the city becomes once again rather quiet.
I am lucky to have the excellent company of my new partner in art crime, Pip! The German Shepherd Pointer. Former hunting dog Pip, from the Mackenzie District is getting her feet wet in Takapuna - on the hunt for the next great find in the art world!
Read on for arts headlines — and events — not to be missed this week.
1. The Visionary Artist Dan Graham, Who Was Known For His Glass Pavilions and Astrological Prowess, Has Died at 79
The celebrated American artist Dan Graham, who famously disowned the term “conceptual art,” has died. His galleries have confirmed that he passed away on Saturday, February 19, at age 79 in New York — the cause of death has not been announced. He is survived by his wife, artist Mieko Meguro.
2. Germany returns Nazi-looted, Dutch Golden Age painting to Jewish dealer’s heir — but more than 800 works are still missing
Ice Skating by Adam van Breen was acquired by Hermann Göring, Adolf Hitler’s second-in-command, and bequeathed to the city of Trier’s museum in 1987.
Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
3. Don’t miss: Auckland Art Gallery — vocabulary of solitude by Ugo Rondinone
Ends Sun 27 Feb 2022!
Known for his spectacular, yet deeply philosophical, installation works, Rondinone’s art is characterised by the sweet melancholy produced when combining the happiness of rainbow colours with a stillness, sadness and atmosphere of ennui.
A total space installation comprising window colour treatments (screen film) clown sculptures arrayed in various positions on floor, floor cover in vinyl. The window treatments include front window side and back.
4. Ceramics and craft are no longer fads in the art world
The wonderful Nadine Ruben Nathan is back with yet another insight into the heartbeat of the art world from New Zealand shores, looking at the evolution of ceramics and craft.
“Twenty years ago, the British trans artist Grayson Perry became the first and only artist working in clay to win the prestigious Turner Prize.”
I caught up with Perry while he was in Westport, CT filming a documentary on the American Dream for BBC in fall 2019.
At the time of winning the Turner Prize, Perry said: “The art world had more trouble coming to terms with me being a potter than my choice of frocks.”
As Nadine reflects this week, “Craft, now well beyond a fad, remains a growing force in the contemporary art world.”
5. Power of the Dog: Dame Jane Campion Makes History With Oscars 2022 Nomination
Dame Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog leads the field of this year’s Academy Awards contenders with 12 nominations, ahead of the 10 nods for science-fiction epic Dune.
Read the stories from Screenrant, Newshub and The Hollywood Reporter.
6. The Venice Biennale Is Getting Its First NFT Art Exhibition Courtesy of Cameroon’s First-Ever Pavilion
The presentation of international and Cameroonian artists is organized in part by a new crypto art-focused DAO.
7. The Problem With the Pandemic Plot
I received this message from my friend, Dr William Haseltine this week:
To my friends.
It is literature that most reflects the Covid’s cultural impact. By contrast, AIDS carved a scar across the art and theater of the 1980s.The difference may be that isolation is the natural lot of writers only amplified by lockdowns. This reflected the death amongst artists, designers, actors and dancers in the early years AIDS that was almost unfathomable.
This review in the New York Times surveys the recent crop of Covid novels. It is right to wonder if we have the stomach to read what is our lived experience.
Bill
Read the New York Times piece.
8. Tate Britain Will Commission Artist to “Critically Engage” With Racist Mural
Rex Whistler’s 1927 artwork includes scenes of a Black child being enslaved and caricatures of Chinese figures.
Critics have long called for the mural to be removed from the museum’s former restaurant.
Read the story from The Art Newspaper and Hyperallergic.
9. NFT market is vulnerable to money laundering, according to US Treasury study of the art trade
While the study concedes there are some nefarious financial dealings in the art market, there are more immediate concerns and regulatory manoeuvres to take.
Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
10. From the New California Gallery Rush to Snoop Dogg’s Bored Ape Snub: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week
Catch up on this week’s news from Artnet.
11. The 10 Best Booths at Frieze Los Angeles
It’s been two years since the last edition of Frieze Los Angeles, and the fair has grown from 70 to 100 galleries this year.
The overabundance that comes with a fair this size always makes close looking a challenge, and thus it’s even more of a delight when specific artworks catch the eye.
12. Artist Jacqueline Fahey: ‘Nothing is more political than what you are wearing’
Artist Jacqueline Fahey on style, art and saying something about the world through fashion.
13. ‘Fashion Is a Great Unifier’: How the Artful Couture of Yves Saint Laurent Is Bringing Six Paris Museums Together in an Unprecedented Joint Show
The Louvre and the Pompidou are among the participating museums.
14. Who Knew the Art Industry Spends Millions of Dollars on Washington Lobbyists? (and Other Insights)
Artnet’s columnist analyzes four years of public records to relay who paid up to be heard on Capitol Hill — and why.
Read the story from some surprising answers.
15. Ai Weiwei sparks outcry by posting ‘vaccine-sceptic’ video on Instagram
Chinese artist and activist says society does not have the right to make the Covid-19 vaccine compulsory.
Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
16. After Pak and Beeple, What’s Next for NFT Collectors? Art Made With a Paintbrush
Now crypto collectors are investing in something more tangible, and traditional, like paintings and sculpture. And art dealers are rushing to woo them.