From Banksy’s at-Home Art to Microsoft’s Marina Abramovic Conspiracy, Here’s the Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news—fast.

Banksy, My wife hates it when I work from home (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

BEST?

Resources for Artists Abound – For freelance workers in the creative fields, there are new organizations cropping up every day to offer relief—and we’ve got a guide to help navigate an uncertain future.

Sobey for All – In a surprise move, Canada’s most prestigious art prize was given to all of the 25 long-listed artists, each one receiving $25,000 from the Sobey Art Foundation.

Sargent Says – The critic and curator Antwaun Sargent joins the Art Angle podcast to discuss the shifting trends in contemporary photography, and his newly released book.

Happy Birthday to the Met – While the museum isn’t celebrating its 150th birthday just yet, Artnet News marked the occasion with a look back at the last century and a half of exhibitions at the marquee museum.

Frieze Frame – Art fair conglomerate Frieze has introduced a new augmented-reality tool to bolster the online viewing rooms it’s rolling out in lieu of an IRL fair.

Banksy Works From Home – The anonymous street artist posted a new work to his social media channel, featuring a bathroom overrun with stenciled rats in a nod to those of us feeling caged-in at home.

Call It Art – Gamers rejoice: a New York judge has ruled that Call of Duty is in fact, a work of art, setting a striking precedent for future video games in legal battles.

A Good KAWS – The market star KAWS, aka Brian Donnelly, is selling affordably priced prints of his fluorescent-colored Snoopys to benefit a youth charity.

WORST?

Remembering Gallerist John Driscoll – The scholar and collector of American Art died from complications of COVID-19 at age 70. Beginning in 1987, he led the gallery Driscoll Babcock, a stalwart of American art in Chelsea.

MCH Faces Dark Days – Art Basel’s parent company MCH is in hot water following the mass exodus of major watch brands who left its Baselworld fair, and the company has laid off many of its staff.

Experience Economy Suffers – Meow Wolf, the sensory-activating immersive art experience, was forced to lay off more than half of its staff due to the economic downturn.

Twitter Trolls Attack Marina – Conspiracy theorists are up in arms over a new (and now removed) Microsoft ad starring Marina Abramović, which they claim promotes her “satanist” work.

What About Art Handlers? – One of the most important—but largely invisible—workforces in the art world are the men and women who transport art itself, and often without steady streams of income many are left holding an empty frame.


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