From Halsey’s Art-Historical Tour of the Met to Another Pussy Riot Arrest: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news, fast.

The album art for "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power" showing the 26-year-old singer as an enthroned Madonna and Child.

BEST?

Halsey’s Art History Lesson – We decoded the 26-year-old singer’s dazzling visual album staged at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Jeff Bezos Takes a Moon Shot – The billionaire Amazon founder gave $200 million to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum just a week before he’s set to make a suborbital journey.

Confederate Statue Comes Down – Years after the deadly white nationalist riots in Charlottesville, the city has finally removed its infamous statue of Robert E. Lee.

Don’t Keep on Cruisin’ – The Italian government has officially banned cruise ships from the Venice lagoon.

Damien Hirst’s NFT Project Has a Catch – Hirst’s newest project forces collectors to decide if they want to keep the NFT, or exchange it for a physical work on paper.

The Mummy Returns – Segments of an ancient mummy wrapping were digitally reconstructed to reveal a hieroglyphic guide to the afterlife.

Redeeming Rashford – A mural of English soccer star Marcus Rashford has been covered in messages of support and flowers after it was previously defaced with racist graffiti.

Conspiracy Theorist Vandal Detained – A conspiracy theorist and repeated vandal was arrested after tagging Hunter Biden’s New York gallery.

 

WORST?

Christian Boltanski Dead at 76 – The French artist, who used found objects to create installations musing on collective memory and mortality, died this week.

Pussy Riot Activists Arrested – Four members of the art-activist group were jailed in Russia for public swearing and arguing with police.

Saltz Says No to Substack – Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz revealed that he turned down a $250,000 salary to write for the newsletter platform.

FBI Busts Man Faking Basquiats – A man purporting to sell works by Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat was arrested during a WhatsApp sting.

Goya or No Goya? – The Prado museum is continuing to flip-flop over attributing its famed Colossus painting to the Spanish master.


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