ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

VISUAL

An AI Art Installation That Insults Viewers

The installation, “AI & Me,” was first shown this summer at the Metropolink #09 Festival in Heidelberg, Germany, as an experiment into how far humans are willing to let themselves be judged by A.I. - Artnet

This Week In Newly Discovered Ancient Roman Mosaics: “Luxuria” In A 2,000-Year-Old Home

"The luxurious residence, dating back to the latter half of the 2nd century BC to the conclusion of the 1st century BC, has been described by (the) Culture Minister as an 'authentic treasure.' … The mosaic features an array of shells, Egyptian blue tesserae, precious glass, and fragments of white marble." - Euronews

British Museum Reveals Just How Much Damage Was Done By Its Thieving Ex-Employee

"About 1,500 items (have been) classified as missing or stolen. Around 350 items in the museum’s collection have gold mounts or gems missing and 140 have been damaged by tools" — and that gold has probably been melted down by now. "Just 351 of the stolen items have been recovered." - Artnet

Great Book Covers You’ll Never See (And Why)

Ultimately, when you see a book cover in a store or online, you’re really just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Because at most of the really big imprints, that cover probably went through the ringer. - Fast Company

The Trafficking Of Looted Syrian Art Is Helping Finance ISIS

"A 2019 study … found that from just two sites of the over 5,000 under their control, the Islamic State looted an estimated $20 million worth of the country’s cultural heritage. … Because these crimes rarely involve average citizens ..., the perpetrators largely evade public scrutiny." - USC Annenberg Media

The Musée d’Orsay Has Set Up An AI-Powered Vincent Van Gogh To Chat With Visitors

Yes, it's making some typical AI-powered factual mistakes. And yes, visitors keep asking it why it committed suicide. - The New York Times

With Crowds Coming For The 2024 Olympics, The Louvre Raises Its Ticket Price

"Admission will rise from €17 to €22, the first hike of its kind since 2017. Per a statement from the Louvre on Friday, the new price will offset rising expenses related to energy and help fund free entry for visitors under 18, students, and journalists." - ARTnews

Date Announced For Reopening Of Notre Dame

The date was confirmed by the French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to the site on 8 December, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. - The Art Newspaper

One Of Britain’s Parliament Buildings Has Severe Structural Failings

Rain is coming into MPs' offices, but the real risk is that the atrium's glass dome might just ... fall in. - The Observer (UK)

The Radical Art Group Who Smuggled Left-Wing Messages Into Network TV

Artist and CalArts professor Mel Chin "had to pull off something like an art heist in reverse. Instead of stealing art from a well-guarded museum, Chin wanted to smuggle art onto the set of one of the most popular television shows in the world." - Slate

A World Map With No Borders, Only Animals

The artist started work on this during lockdown in July, 2020. "Three years, approximately 2,602 working hours and 1,642 animal species later, “Wild World” is a hand-drawn map of our planet that both inspires and celebrates wonder." - The New York Times

A Melbourne Gallery Drops An Artist Because Of Words In His Artwork

The words "Nazi" and "Israel" appeared next to each other in performance artist Mike Parr's work, says his longtime gallery owner, Anna Schwartz. Parr also said that "Israel is an apartheid state and a tragedy for Jews everywhere." - The Guardian (UK)

The Noguchi Museum Board Picks A Director Who Was There At The Beginning

Amy Hau "set up first archives and built the collection records for more than 3,500 works, including sculptures in stone, metal, wood and clay, drawings, models and designs." - The New York Times

The Architects Who Believe In Reduce And Reuse, But For Buildings

"The French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal are famous for their belief in keeping existing buildings whenever possible, no matter how unpromising or unloved they may be." - The Guardian (UK)

Rediscovering Surrealist Painter Leonor Fini

Why was Fini, who was part of the first major surrealist exhibitions, ignored for so long? André Breton, of course. He "would not have a woman be a Surrealist. In his view, women were muses." - NPR

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