BEST?

Laura Hoptman’s Designs for the Drawing Center – The new director of the much beloved Drawing Center spoke to artnet News about her plans to introduce the wide range of drawing to a broader audience, and her transition from MoMA’s hallowed halls to the hidden gem in Soho.

Burn, Baby, Burn – artnet News’s art critic Ben Davis delves into “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man” and has some thoughts on seeing the splashy, flammable art outside the dessert.

Mark Your Calendars – From Malcolm Morley’s medieval knights to the abstract expressionist Vivian Springford finally getting her due, we’ve rounded up 45 gallery shows you need to see in New York this September.

Simone Leigh Hits the High Line – Simone Leigh’s towering sculpture Brick House will kick off the High Line’s Plinth Commission series. The 16-foot-tall bronze sculpture will be installed in April 2019, holding court above Chelsea’s High Line.

Bieber’s Manager Gets Into the Art Business – Although best known as Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun is dipping his toes into the art market, investing in the online art company Ikonick with digital media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck.

Zardulu Casts Her Spell on Manhattan – The myth-making performance artist who brought us Selfie Rat will be on view at On Canal this fall.

Art’s New Home in Helsinki – The futuristic subterranean Amos Rex Art Museum has opened in Helsinki, taking over the site of the 1940 Olympics, and debuting with an eye-warping installation by Japanese collective teamLab.

WORST?

Major Miscount – London’s National Portrait Gallery posted shockingly low visitor figures, because, as it turns out, they were using a broken counting-machine.

Art For Lawsuit – A group of 27 former employees of London’s National Gallery is selling artwork to raise money for a lawsuit against the museum, claiming they were unfairly dismissed from their roles and are entitled to retroactive compensation and benefits.

Interview Mag Gets a Second Life – Peter Brant is buying back Interview magazine…from himself. The glossy announced it was folding back in May, but thanks to some creative financial restructuring, Brant will revive the Andy Warhol-founded publication in September.

A Monumental Mistake – A giant statue of a cartoon child dressed in a yellow hazmat suit has been removed from the city of Fukushima, following a groundswell of displeasure from citizens; the city is still reeling from the nuclear disaster in 2011 resulting from a major power plant meltdown.

A Bad News Biennale – Officials had to dismantle a faux-golden sculpture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from the Wiesbaden Biennale, just 28 hours after it had been installed. Safety concerns flared in the German city after visitors vandalized the monument and multiple protests threatened to turn violent.