ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

VISUAL

Staff Cuts At Britain’s Tate Galleries

“Tate is cutting 7% of its workforce as the British arts institution seeks to address a funding deficit left over from the pandemic. … Tate, which has four galleries across London, Liverpool and Cornwall, said it had been working with staff for a number of months to achieve the reduction.” - The Guardian

The New Yorker Fires Art Critic Jackson Arn

The magazine parted ways with Arn, who replaced the late Peter Schjeldahl in 2023, after receiving complaints about his inappropriate behavior at the publication’s 100th birthday last month. - The New York Times

On Further Reflection, Was “Mona Lisa” A Vampire?

Looking again at how the myth of the Mona Lisa emerged, I believe that her fame is due not just to the painting’s display of artistic ingenuity – but to the troubling vampirism and gender ambiguity that 19th-century critics saw in Leonardo’s work. - The Conversation

Forget Blue-Chip Art. We Live In A Red-Chip World

Red-chip art comes in many guises, but certain visual patterns predominate: super-flat cartoons, a street art/graffiti aesthetic, and multi-colored chrome. A crypto component is always welcome. - Artnet

Artists Who Left Everything Behind In Artsakh Strive To Create in Exile

"'Creating is my way of life; perhaps it’s a form of self-defense. Sculpting is healing, a form of struggle, and therapy all at once,’ Meliksetyan explained. So long as he draws breath, Meliksetyan has never considered abandoning his art.” - Hyperallergic

So, How’s The Frick Turning Out?

According to the NYT, all is well: “The expansion is about as sensitive and deft as one could hope for. At moments, as in a voluptuous new marble staircase and airy auditorium, it approximates poetry.” - The New York Times

The Van Gogh Museum Would Like Off This Attribution Ride, Please

“The cost of fighting lawsuits and responding to an influx of inquiries during the coronavirus pandemic — when hundreds of people believed they had found an original van Gogh ... — has made the museum increasingly resistant to authentication requests.” - The New York Times

The Getty Villa Could Have Burned To The Ground

Is it time to move? "Flames came within feet of the building, and 17 courageous staff members who remained onsite went through 40 handheld fire extinguishers stamping them out.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

The Artist Of Blue Paint, And Soil

Artist Amanda Williams wanted to recreate George Washington Carver’s Prussian blue. “It’s a pigment that took Williams, together with two material science labs, three years to develop.” - The New York Times

The Supreme Court Just Reopened The Question Of Who Has The Right To This Pissarro

A new California law changed a ruling that had seemed to be final last year, and now the painting, which is hanging at a museum in Madrid, is once again embroiled in lawsuits. - The New York Times

The Market And The Rise Of “Red-Chip” Art

“What is red-chip art? … (It) comes in many guises, but certain visual patterns predominate: super-flat cartoons, a street art/graffiti aesthetic, and multi-colored chrome. Crucially, red-chip art is defined by its refusal to revere art history, perhaps as a part of a broader rejection of elite, specialized knowledge.” - Artnet

What’s This About A New Frank Lloyd Wright House?

A house called RiverRock, based on the design plans that were on Wright’s drawing board when he died, was completed early this year in a Cleveland suburb, and the owner charges $800 a night for short-term rentals. Is this a legitimate Wright creation? The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation says no. - Artnet

At Angkor Wat, A Buddha’s Head Gets Its Torso Back

“Archaeologists in Cambodia are celebrating an unexpected find at the country’s centuries-old Angkor temple complex: the torso of a statue of Buddha that matches a head found nearly a century ago at the same site. The torso, believed to be from the 12th or 13th century, was discovered ... last month.” - AP

Italy’s Politicians Fight Over Protecting Heritage

The Italia Nostra heritage group warned that “downgrading interest in landscape” posed a “serious risk to the heritage of the widespread community”. - The Art Newspaper

How To Spot A Fake Masterpiece? Little Things Count

The divergence of opinion between the museum's experts and those who doubt the work's authenticity opens a curious space in which to reflect on intriguing questions of artistic value and merit. Is there ever legitimacy in forgery? Can fakes be masterpieces? - BBC

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');