As Museums Desperately Try to Diversify Their Collections, They Now Face Another Problem: How to Pay for It in a Financial Crisis

Art World

As Museums Desperately Try to Diversify Their Collections, They Now Face Another Problem: How to Pay for It in a Financial Crisis

Some initiatives implemented prior to the pandemic have proved surprisingly resilient, while others are under major stress.

By Naomi Rea & Eileen Kinsella, Feb 10, 2021

Art World

The Uffizi Gallery’s Decision to Acquire Piece of Street Art Starring a Seminude Mark Wahlberg Has Observers Scratching Their Heads

British street artist Endless has joined the likes of Botticelli and Raphael in the famed museum's collection.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 9, 2021

Art World

The Philadelphia Flyers Have Commissioned a Nude Portrait of Gritty, Its Beloved Mascot. Not Only Is It Elegant, It Is a Masterpiece

The bright orange mascot slipped out of a white robe to pose naked for the ravishing portrait.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 9, 2021

Art World

Simone Leigh, Glenn Ligon, and Five Other Artists Will Create New Works About the Future of Monuments for Prospect New Orleans

The works will be funded by a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.

By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 9, 2021

Events and Parties

Editors’ Picks: 13 Events for Your Art Calendar This Week, From Public Art in Brooklyn to Valentine’s Day With the Wide Awakes

Plus, check out a talk with video and film artist Isaac Julien and hear artist Ann Shelton and critic Claire Voon in conversation.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 9, 2021

Art World

‘Shameful and Misguided’: Former Met Staff and Others Say the Museum Would Set a Dangerous Precedent by Selling Art to Cover Costs

Despite relaxed official guidelines, critics had harsh words for the revered museum.

By Eileen Kinsella, Feb 8, 2021

On View

The Brilliant Quilt Artist Rosie Lee Tompkins’s Patron Donated Hundreds of Her Works to One Museum. Did His Generosity Hurt Her Legacy?

Shows of Tompkins’s virtuosic artworks are up now at BAMPFA and Anthony Meier Fine Arts.

By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 5, 2021

Politics

To Celebrate the Glass Ceiling Kamala Harris Shattered, This Artist Installed a Portrait of Her in Washington Made Entirely of Cracked Glass

The installation is on view through Saturday night.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 5, 2021

Art World

Xaviera Simmons, Nan Goldin, and 150 Other Artists and Activists Are Urging MoMA to Ax Board Chairman Leon Black

The signatories of a petition want MoMA to part ways with Black over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 5, 2021

Law & Politics

Artist Nick Cave Just Won a Bizarre Legal Fight Over Whether His Political Mural in a New York Village Is Actually Art. (It Is)

The town's board unanimously ruled that Cave’s text installation is indeed an artwork.

By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 4, 2021

Art World

After Desert X’s Controversial Outing in Saudi Arabia, Palm Springs Won’t Sponsor an Artist’s Work in the California Biennial’s 2021 Edition

The sponsorship deal fell apart after the city council insisted on working directly with the artist, rather than the biennial.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 3, 2021

People

‘If I’m Going to Do This, I’ve Got to Do It Now’: Artist Mira Schor on Deciding to Tackle Monumental Artworks After Decades of Working Small

Now 70, Mira Schor is ready to take on new challenges.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 3, 2021

Art World

100 French Museum Leaders Call on Authorities to Allow Them to Reopen, Claiming They’re ‘Necessary for Mental Well-Being’

The projected reopening date for museums has now been moved three times.

By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 3, 2021

Art World

The Guerrilla Girls Canceled Their Book Contract With Phaidon Over Billionaire Owner Leon Black’s ‘Shady Dealings’ With Jeffrey Epstein

The anonymous feminist artists are renewing their calls for MoMA to oust Black form its board.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 2, 2021

On View

A New Show Places Emma Amos, Pioneering Artist of the Civil Rights and Feminist Movements, Where She Belongs: The 20th-Century Canon

The artist was a member of both the pioneering African American collective Spiral and the anonymous feminist group the Guerrilla Girls.

By Sarah Cascone, Feb 1, 2021