From the $12 Million Gold Cube to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pretend Asawa: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news, fast.

Artist Niclas Castello (2nd left) unveils his new piece "The Castello CUBE", an artwork made of pure 24-carat, 999.9 fine gold in Central Park on February 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

BEST?

Perfectly Preserved From Pompeii – A new show at NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World shows off incredible colorful frescoes from the doomed ancient city.

Viva La Biennale – Artistic director Cecilia Alemani announced the artist list for the Venice Biennale’s main exhibition, focusing on female and gender non-conforming artists.

What’s Up With the Gold Cube in Central Park – Artist Niclas Castello installed a giant $12 million gold cube in Central Park that will be minted as an NFT (duh).

Rauschenberg Gets a Catalogue Raisonne – The famously prolific artist’s paintings and “Combines” will be published in a 10-volume digital catalogue, available for free

Biden Reverses Trump-Era Art Rule – President Biden has reversed a Trump-era rule requiring pro-American art on all federal buildings. 

Pace Moves West – The mega gallery just got even more mega, acquiring L.A. staple Kayne Griffin and taking over its James Turrell-designed space.

Design Miami Goes Global – Art Basel’s sister fair is making its mark on Paris, where it will hold a debut edition in October.

Julian Assange Gets Into Crypto – The Wikileaks founder is the latest big name to hop on the NFT bandwagon, teaming up with crypto artist Pak on a project.

Sotheby’s Is Selling a Space Diamond… Or Is It? – The auction house is touting the sale of a mysterious black diamond that may be from outer space—but experts are more than a little skeptical.

WORST?

Goops! Gwyneth Paltrow Has a Knockoff Artwork – A flashy photo-spread showing Gwyneth Paltrow’s luxury pad included what appeared to be a work by Ruth Asawa, but turns out it’s not the real deal.

Inside Pandora’s Box – A new report delving into the Pandora Papers details more than 1,600 works of art that were funneled through shell companies.

Gallery Hack – Italy’s buzzy T293 Gallery was hacked, leading a collector to send more than $30,000 to a fake account.

Hong Kong Memorial Removed – As China continues to crack down on the city, one of the remaining Tiananmen Square memorials has been covered up

Berlin-Based Artists Boycott Art Space – Artists including Candice Breitz are protesting a new art space at the Tempelhof Airport because it’s backed by financier Walter Smerling.