From the Art of ‘Little Women’ to the Death of Artist John Baldessari: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news—fast.

A still from Little Women (2019). Photo by Wilson Webb © 2019 CTMG, Inc.

BEST?

Show Us the Money – Japanese art collector Yusaku Maezawa is giving away $9 million to a group of his Twitter followers in a social experiment to see if money can, in fact, buy happiness.

Little Women, Big Art – Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women draws many of its costumes from paintings by Impressionist artists.

Social Star – Artnet News spoke to the woman who runs the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s commanding social media presence.

The Met Gets Political – A joint statement issued by the Met’s director and president condemned Donald Trump’s aborted threats to destroy heritage sites in Iran.

Abortion Is Normal – A two-part art show full of works by star artists is opening in response to increasingly restrictive abortion laws.

Power to the People – An artist painted grand portraits of Princeton University’s blue-collar cooks and cleaners—and now the school is hanging the pictures around campus.

Artists and Lawyers Team Up – The Center for Art Law is introducing a program to help foreign artists learn about the US visa process.

WORST?

Remembering Baldessari – The pioneering conceptual artist and beloved educator John Baldessari died at age 88, and in the days since, former students and colleagues remembered his witty artwork and commitment to teaching.

Earthquake in Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico is reeling after multiple earthquakes devastated the island, resulting in wreckage at historic cultural institutions.

LGBTQ Uproar – A show organized by the Qatari state and hosted by the Palais de Tokyo in Paris is facing an outcry because of the Middle Eastern country’s criminalization of gay and lesbian people.

Asset Freeze in Angola – Isabel dos Santos and Sindika Dokolo, two of the most powerful art collectors in Africa, have had their assets frozen as part of a government-wide crackdown on corruption.

Mongoose Mission – The Wildlife Trust of India is condemning Amazon for selling paintbrushes made illegally from the hairs of protected mongooses.


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