Art World Art-World Heavyweights Come Out in Support of Documenta’s Embattled Curators Amid Latest Allegations “The pressures that media and politicians have placed on the entire Documenta team have become unbearable,” a committee said. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 15, 2022
On View Diane Arbus’s 1972 MoMA Show Ignited a Firestorm. Now, David Zwirner Gallery Has Restaged It, Shot for Shot The show divided viewers when it debuted at the Museum of Modern Art, with some critics saying the images were exploitative. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 14, 2022
Politics A Panel Convened to Address Antisemitism at Documenta Called for Action on Yet Another ‘Problematic’ Artwork. The Show’s Artists Claim It’s Censorship “We are angry, we are sad, we are tired, we are united,” the curators wrote in an open letter. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 12, 2022
On View How Big a Deal Is Michael Heizer’s ‘City’ When It Comes to Art History? We Asked Curators, Collectors, Dealers, and Scholars to Weigh In “People are just dying to see it. And it's going to wow them," said one observer. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 12, 2022
Auctions A 1993 Painting by Ernie Barnes Just Sold for $1.6 Million, Adding to the Late Artist’s Recent Market Explosion The artwork, which depicts a lively church scene, soared past its presale high estimate of $700,000 at Bonhams New York. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 9, 2022
Museums & Institutions The Mayor of Strasbourg Is Forcing Local Museums to Close Two Days a Week to Save on Exploding Energy Costs Institutions in Britain and elsewhere are also taking drastic measures to prepare for what could be an expensive winter. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 6, 2022
Auctions The Rapper Skepta Is Helping Curate an Upcoming Sotheby’s Sale in London—and He’s Including His First-Ever Painting The British-Nigerian grime star has chosen a group of 8 to 12 paintings to include in the auction house’s Contemporary Curated sale. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 1, 2022
Crime A Sculpture Residency in Upstate New York Was Ransacked. Police Charged the Culprits: Children as Young as 8 The group destroyed artworks, overturned furniture, shattered windows, and sprayed graffiti on the building’s walls. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 31, 2022
Crime After an Artwork Critical of Xi Jinping Mysteriously Burned to the Ground in California, the U.S. Blames a Covert Chinese Operation China appears to have sent operatives to spy on artist Chen Weiming. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 29, 2022
Law & Politics Last Year, Biden Expanded Two Archaeologically Important Monuments in Utah. Now, the State Is Suing Him for the Move The back-and-forth will determine the fate of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah’s red-rock desert. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 26, 2022
On View Rising Artist Wendy Red Star on Why She’s Bringing Lost Native American Histories to Light on Bus Stops in Three U.S. Cities “Travels Pretty” features paintings based on rawhide bags crafted by Apsáalooke women. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 25, 2022
Galleries The Art World’s Favorite Architect Is Joining Forces With an Upstart Dealer to Launch a New Gallery in Downtown New York Palo Gallery will double as a kind of showroom for Annabelle Selldorf’s new furniture line, Vica. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 24, 2022
Politics Call It a Selfie? Donald Trump’s Own PAC Is Paying for His Official Presidential Portrait With a Donation to the Smithsonian Two unidentified artists have been commissioned to paint the likenesses of Donald and Melania Trump. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 23, 2022
Art World After More Than 50 Years, Reclusive Artist Michael Heizer Has Finally Unveiled ‘City,’ His Life’s Work. Here’s What It Looks Like Heizer’s sprawling installation of manmade forms in the dusty Nevada desert runs a mile and a half long and can only be explored on foot. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 19, 2022
Books Photographer Theo Wenner Spent Two Years Following Homicide Detectives in Brooklyn’s Most Dangerous District. Here’s What He Saw Like film noir detectives, the investigators Theo Wenner photographed for his new book self-consciously play a role. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 18, 2022