BEST?

Treasure Hunter’s Identity Revealed – The daring man who followed a map to find the buried treasure of eccentric dealer Forrest Fenn is a 32-year-old student who will pay off his student loans with the bounty.

Greetings From Florida – On this week’s episode of the Art Angle, reporter Nate Freeman calls in from Miami Beach to report on the half-living, half-dead version of Art Basel.

Resurrecting A New York Gem – Pace is launching a $6 million fundraiser to refurbish Louise Nevelson’s Manhattan-based chapel.

The Met’s Knight in Shining Armor – Collector and billionaire Ronald Lauder gifted the Metropolitan Museum of Art almost 100 rare pieces of arms and armor for its collection.

It’s Cookie Monster! – A large mural depicting Cookie Monster showed up in Peoria, Illinois after a man posing as the building’s owner commissioned it from a local artist.

Hiding in Plain Sight – An old master painting by Flemish artist Jacob Jordaen was discovered hanging on the walls of a town hall in Brussels; art historians identified it as an original 16th century work, though officials had long thought it was a copy.

Banksy Hacks Up Something – The anonymous street artist’s newest work depicts an elderly woman mid-sneeze. It’s about the coronavirus.

The Return of Art Club 2000 – Ben Davis looks at the Artists Space show of the ’90s art collective that parodied the Gap and created a novel group identity as a “pose band.”

Phillips Sets Records – At the auction house’s New York sale, emerging Black artists and historic figures had record-setting sales.

An Art History Mystery – A photography-lover came across an old roll of undeveloped film, and discovered intimate snapshots of an unidentified couple. Now the internet is on the hunt to find out their identities.

WORST?

Harvard Removes Philip Johnson – The institution will rename a building the architect designed, following an outcry and open letter from a group of architects seeking to disavow his views.

Red Bull Arts Announces Closure – The buzzy space, where shows featuring the work of Gretchen Bender and Rammellzee, is closing after just six years

Taipei Museum Director Departs – Facing criticism for including a politically divisive work in a recent exhibition, director Ping Lin of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum announced she will resign in January.

Auction Houses Face Subpoenas – Christie’s and Sotheby’s were slapped with subpoenas relating to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s financial dealings as part of an ongoing investigation.