BEST?
Kusama-Rama – The Japanese artist is continuing on her path to world domination with shows opening in New York and a European extravaganza in the works.
Auction-Season Sizzlers – The upcoming sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips are packing a softer punch than last year, but there are still plenty of pricey pieces for those looking to buy.
Seeing Double at Sotheby’s – The auction house’s latest collaboration will pair The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti and the art dealer of the same name to curate a show of 20 Old Master artworks.
Great Scot! – Police in Los Angeles unearthed a trove of almost 1,300 stolen mystical Scottish artworks hidden in a private home—and the cache is estimated to be worth $800,000.
Lonely No More – The actor Keanu Reeves, once deemed “the Internet’s boyfriend,” has found love with artist Alexandra Grant, who has shown with galleries including Honor Fraser and Lowell Ryan Projects in Los Angeles.
Street Artist’s Savior – With so many large corporations using street art as flashy backdrops in commercials, lawyer Jeff Gluck is representing the artists whose work is often used without their permission.
A Gigantic Discovery – Archaeologists found the first evidence of a human-made trap for hunting mammoths when they stumbled upon a humongous grave in Mexico filled with the enormous skeletal remains.
WORST?
Denied Entry to Their Own Show – When a group of Middle Eastern artists attempted to gain entry to the US to see their own show at MoMA PS1, they were denied entry because of Trump’s travel ban.
Marciano Foundation Folds – The Los Angeles-based museum laid off a huge chunk of staff seeking to unionize, and abruptly announced plans to close shortly after, with no comment about the institution’s possible future.
Culture Clash in NYC – The recent departure of NYC’s culture czar, Tom Finkelpearl, may be connected to a tabloid-ready dustup between New York governor Andrew Cuomo, Italian actor Chazz Palminteri, and first lady Chirlane McCray.
A Royal Fail – Prince Charles got some bad press this week after a forger announced that he had created paintings in the royal collection attributed to masters like Picasso and Monet.
Richard Prince’s Peril – The artist was called out by Detroit-based sex educator Zoë Ligon for Prince’s appropriation of her portrait on Instagram, which she says are taken out of context and resemble “revenge porn.”
London’s NPG Will Get a Facelift – The National Portrait Gallery will be closed for three years starting in 2020 for a massive renovation—and the closure has led to staff layoffs.
Blain and Southern Split – The art dealers Harry Blain and Graham Southern will close their gallery, with Blain planning to continue dealing, and Southern set to retire. The breakup comes on the heels of Jake and Dinos Chapman announcing they were leaving the gallery on Twitter.