Today’s April 1, which means April Fool’s Day, of course.
As everyone knows, the last 12 months have been a particularly wild ride in the art world. Looking back at this past year, it occurred to us just how many stories sounded like jokes when they rolled across our screens.
So in case you missed them, here are a few actual, legit art news stories that happened since this time last year that could double as decent April Fool’s jokes. Sometimes you can’t improve upon reality!
Sales of a Rare Painting of a Toilet Paper Roll by Thomas Kinkade Benefit Shuttered NADA Galleries
Thomas Kinkade, Untitled (Toilet Paper) (circa 1978). Image courtesy of the Kinkade Family Foundation.
An Art Collective Bought a $30,000 Damien Hirst Spot Print, Cut It Up, and Sold the Spots for $480 a Pop…
…Then They Sold the Leftover Paper Too for $261,000
MSCHF at work on “Severed Spots.” Courtesy of MSCHF.
Some Say Frida Kahlo’s Ghost Haunts the Halls of Her Mexico City Museum
A mind-blowing appearance from Frida Kahlo.
A Billionaire Is Allegedly Blasting the ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Theme Song to Punish His Neighbor for Complaining About His Dale Chihuly Sculpture
This is just the poster for Gilligan’s Island.
Cate Blanchett Must Share Her New Personal Art Gallery With Bats
Actress Cate Blanchett. (Photo by Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images). With a pesky bat.
Cheapo Beer Brand Natural Light Has Unveiled the World’s Most Expensive Work of Art
Natty Light’s “Da Vinci of Debt” art installation. Courtesy of Natural Light.
New York Mayoral Candidate Andrew Yang Unveils His Cultural Plan: Subsidize TikTok Hype Houses
A still from Andrew Yang’s campaign video.
In One of His Final Presidential Acts, Trump Pardons an Art Dealer Convicted of Running a Gambling Ring Out of Trump Tower
Helly Nahmad and Gisele Bundchen at Nello’s. (Photo by Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images)
A Set of Pokémon Cards, Deemed ‘the Pinnacle of Pokémon Collecting,’ Just Fetched $408,000 at Auction
This Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) set a world record with a $408,000 sale at Heritage Auctions, Dallas. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
An Artist Named Mr. Doodle Is One of 2020’s Top Auction Earners
Mr. Doodle at the launch of “Sense of Space,” a multi-room sensory art experience in Exchange Square in London in 2018. Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Broadgate.
A Link to a JPG Just Sold for $69 Million at Christie’s
Beeple, Everydays – The First 5000 Days NFT, 21,069 pixels x 21,069 pixels (316,939,910 bytes). Image courtesy the artist and Christie’s.
Marina Abramović Has Partnered With WeTransfer to Teach People Mindfulness While They Wait for Files to Upload
Marina Abramovic, in a still from the 2019 film Body of Truth. © Indi Film. Courtesy of WeTransfer.