It’s just gotten started, and already 2018 is proving chock-full of highlights and low blows in the art world. Here’s what you missed this week.
BEST?
What Will Happen This Year? – artnet News’s resident soothsayer Tim Schneider makes eight predictions for the art world in 2018, and they are daringly precise.
Nan Goldin Takes the Sacklers to Task – The photographer penned a strongly worded editorial for Artforum about why we should hold the Sackler family accountable for the rampant OxyContin epidemic; she also announced her newly formed advocacy group, P.A.I.N.
Measuring the Kusama Kraze – Just how popular was David Zwirner’s two-venue exhibit of the Japanese art star? We tallied the figures: for every six minutes spent waiting in line, visitors were rewarded with one second of mirror-time.
Every Brushstroke You Take, Every Painting You Make, Every Well-Rendered Lake, I’ll Be Watching You – Hudson River School enthusiasts can enjoy the landscapes of Thomas Cole in the company of Sting this winter, as the Met Museum hosts the grammy-winning artist for an unprecedented concert series.
Sam Gilliam’s Golden Years – The Washington Color School artist has been a sleeper hit for years, but now his color-saturated works are finally fetching prices in line with his talent.
Brace Yourself for an Exhibition Bonanza – The year is off to a buzzing start, so take note of all the hottest museum shows coming to a city near you in 2018, including David Bowie’s last stop in Brooklyn and the arrival of Tate’s blockbuster show “Soul of a Nation” to Crystal Bridges.
And Now It’s Time for the Thank You Notes – To underscore the season of giving, we tallied up the 10 most newsworthy acquisitions by major museums in 2017, including a trove of Native American artworks gifted to the Met in April and capped by the bombshell announcement that Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi was acquired by the Louvre Abu Dhabi (as far as we know).
WORST?
Out of Towner? You’re Out of Luck – For the first time in half a century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a new admission policy, and got a lot of flak. The price hike, set for March 1, charges a whopping $25 entrance fee for non-New York residents.
More Deaccession Drama – La Salle University in Philadelphia is facing criticism for planning to auction a trove of artwork at Christie’s, echoing last year’s prolonged battle over the Berkshire Museum’s plans to sell off work.
Farewell to Betty Woodman – The 87-year-old artist who transformed clay into whimsical and colorful sculptures passed away this week. Woodman’s gallerist told artnet News about the evolution of Woodman’s career and her enduring legacy.
The Bronx Is Frieze-ing? – The art fair behemoth’s proposal for the (unrealized) Frieze South Bronx cultural district gives an inside look at the company’s ambitions. Wow.
Old Master Art Is Decried as Pornography – A Utah school became the site of controversy when a teacher was accused of showing students “pornography” in the form of classical nude artworks.
Damien Hirst Makes His Netflix Debut – The sensational artist created a mokumentary chronicling the story behind his much-reviled Venice show “Treasures From the Wreck of the Unbelievable.” The story, much like the success of Hirst’s two-venue show, is truly unbelievable.
Monument or Madness? – The provocative artist Christoph Büchel wants to designate President Trump’s border wall prototypes as national monuments, likening them to Donald Judd’s land art.