From a Hello Kitty Bonanza to Melania Trump’s Strange Sculpture: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news—fast.

The "first ever" monument of Melania Trump. Photo: JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images.

BEST?

Olafur Eliasson Returns to Tate – The artist is revisiting Tate Modern with a mid-career survey that explores possibilities for thwarting the devastating effects of global climate change.

Millions at the Met – The Metropolitan Museum of Art welcomed more than seven million visitors last fiscal year, despite the new (and much derided) admission fee, which costs non-New Yorkers a hefty $25.

Selling to Millenials – What does it take to sell art to millenials? We spoke to dealers about how they’re targeting the elusive young demographic.

Zwirner Expands (Again) – Just in time for the FIAC art fair in Paris, David Zwirner will open his sixth gallery in France’s chic capital city—which is also a sign of little faith in a Brexit deal.

A Show With Cat-ittude – To celebrate Hello Kitty’s 45th birthday, the beloved Japanase character is feted in an impawssible-to-resist exhibition at LA’s Corey Helford Gallery.

Madonna’s Ex-Advisor Speaks Out – The material girl’s former art advisor Darlene Lutz spoke to artnet News about her tumultuous relationship with the singer and why she’s now selling the star’s most intimate belongings.

Riot in Alabama – The Russian art and music collective Pussy Riot protested the new abortion laws in Alabama with a riotously sold-out concert.

ICA Los Angeles’s New Director – The California museum has lured Anne Ellegood away from the nearby Hammer Museum, where she had served as a senior curator for a decade.

Lee Radziwell’s Collection to Hit the Block – The sister of Jackie Kennedy may have been the lesser-known of the two, but her impeccable collection will be auctioned at Christie’s this fall, following her death earlier this year.

 

WORST?

Cracking Down on Crime – Indian art dealer Subhash Kapoor was indicted for his part in a $145 million smuggling ring. He and his co-conspirators are accused of trafficking in looted antiquities for three decades.

A Tasteless Trump Tribute – Melania Trump was memorialized in the form of a blocky wooden sculpture in her native Slovenia, though the only actual resemblance to the First Lady is in the bright blue dress.

Epstein’s Ills Bleed Into the Art World – Artist Maria Farmer is accusing the billionaire of assaulting her and her younger sister in yet another example of how creative women’s ambitions can play into the hands of powerful predators.

No Sackler Pain at the V&A – The director of London’s Victoria & Albert museum said he’s “proud” of its connections to the controversial Sackler family, who many museums have distanced themselves from in recent months.

Police Evict Artists in China – Two large arts districts in China were cleared of studios and residential spaces by officials who said “security threats” were to blame.

The Debate Over The Life of Washington – After the San Francisco School Board voted to take down New Deal murals that were protested as racist, Dewey Crumpler, a painter who made the anti-racist “response mural” to them 45 years ago, spoke about why he wants them saved.


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