BEST?

Diego Rivera’s Dream Art City Is Born – Almost 100 years after he first conceived the idea, a sprawling campus for culture called the City of Arts has opened in Mexico, realizing the late-artist’s long-held dream.

Archaeologists Unearth a Trio of Busts – While digging up the site of a future railway 50 miles outside London, archaeologists stumbled upon three well-preserved Roman busts, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime” find.

The Divorce Behind a Blockbuster Art Auction – On this week’s episode of the Art Angle podcast, Katya Kazakina delves into the bitter breakup that led a trove of exceedingly valuable artworks to hit the auction block this month.

Is This a Real Rembrandt? – A Dutch painting stolen in an infamous German art heist could actually be painted by the great Old Master himself.

Quentin Tarantino Gets Into the NFT Game – The film director is minting seven Pulp Fiction scenes as NFTs, promising to share secrets about the famous film in the process.

Celebs Crash Art-Theft Flick – The Hollywood film “Red Notice” boasts a starry cast including Gal Godot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson.

D.C.’s Culture Commission Shakes Up – After six months of troubled meetings among activists, professor Natalie Hopkinson and activist Cora Masters Barry were finally appointed to the commission, hoping to enact grants to aid in racial equity.

Artists and Self Care – We asked 16 artists to tell us how they take care of themselves as malaise continues to hang over the world.

KAWS Donates the ‘Holy Grail’ of Folk Art – The artist Brian Donnelly gifted a rare folk-art sculpture by William Edmondson titled Martha and Mary to New York’s American Folk Art Museum.

Did A CryptoPunk Just Sell for $500 Million? – In the shifty corners of the NFT art market, something called a “flash loan” allowed a CryptoPunk NFT to fetch a staggering half a billion dollars.

WORST?

You Better Belieb This Story – An artist posing as Justin Bieber was threatened by the pop star’s lawyers while trying to sell work purportedly by Bieber himself.

Reviving Chuck Close’s Legacy – Zachary Small reports that in the last years of his life, the troubled artist, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct, was planning a comeback to rehabilitate his besmirched reputation.

Philbrick Cops a Plea – Disgraced art dealer Inigo Philbrick is set to plead guilty in federal court, though what prison sentence will come down remains to be seen.

Art Star Splits With Mega-Gallery – In a surprise development, in-demand artist Simone Leigh has split with her gallery Hauser & Wirth just months before she represents the United States at the Venice Biennale.