From KAWS’s Augmented Reality Artworks to the Coronavirus Crisis: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news, fast.

KAWS, COMPANION (EXPANDED) in Taipei, 2020, augmented reality. Courtesy: KAWS and Acute Art.

BEST?

KAWS Out – KAWS is pulling out all the stops with a series of new augmented-reality “companions”.

Online Art Fair – After the cancelation of its Hong Kong Fair, Art Basel is launching online viewing rooms to allow collectors to shop from the comforts of their own homes.

Venice Updates – Countries around the world, from Australia to the United Kingdom, are naming artists for the 2021 Venice Biennale.

Conjuring Magic on Canvas – Art critic Ben Davis finds magic in a new survey of works by Agnes Pelton at the Whitney.

Gunning for Sean Penn – Jeff Koons created a sculpture from actor Sean Penn’s gun collection, which Anderson Cooper just bought at auction.

Rauschenberg Foundation Pays It Forward – Robert Rauschenberg’s legacy of philanthropy continues with a new emergency medical grant program made possible by his eponymous foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Ohio’s Big Gift – A local couple donated more than 100 works to the Cleveland Museum of Art, valued at more than $100 million.

Auction Blotter: New York Day Sale Edition – If you missed New York’s most recent auctions, we’ve got you covered with the big hits and misses.

Inigo Go-Go – Fresh from the new Artnet Intelligence Report, Eileen Kinsella unravels the mystery behind disgraced art dealer Inigo Philbrick.

 

WORST?

Corona Cancellations – Galleries and museums are closing and events are being canceled around the world. Keep up with it all with our up-to-the-minute guide.

Tate’s Deep Clean – An employee at Tate Modern tested positive for COVID-19, but the museum has opted to undergo a deep clean and remain open to visitors.

A Report From the Front Lines – What’s it like to live under coronavirus quarantine? Reporter Vivienne Chow reports from Hong Kong on this week’s episode of the Art Angle.

Boston Museums Shutter – Four leading Boston-area museums shuttered en masse as the public health emergency showed no signs of ebbing.

Cultural Sites Around the World Are Empty – Museums and other historic sites around the world are devoid of visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New Suspects Behind Green Vault Heist – New reports suggest that the billion-dollar heist at Germany’s Green Vault may have been an inside job, with four security guards now under investigation.

The Met Makes Moves – The Metropolitan Museum of Art closed its three locations, paving the way for institutions around the country to close.

France’s Culture Minister Falls Ill – France’s culture minister, Franck Riester, is among the high-profile individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.


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