VISUAL

When A Sports Venue Demands Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars From Governments, We Need To Know About Its Architecture

“The Moda Center has always been a candidate for upgraded design. Which is to say nothing of the 30-acre Rose Quarter property the arena is part of: an unequivocal urban-planning disaster. … The Rose Quarter needs radical reconstructive surgery even more than the arena.” - Oregon ArtsWatch

Trump Has Columbus Status Installed On The White House Grounds

It’s “is a replica of one that protesters in Baltimore tore down and dumped into the city’s Inner Harbor in the summer of 2020. The statue’s marble pieces were retrieved from the harbor, and a Maryland artist used them to guide the creation of the replica." - The New York Times

Israel May Be Considering Banning Artist Rama Duwaji, First Lady Of New York

“The ministry reportedly took issue with Duwaji’s animation Eyes on Jenin (2025), a work that linked police brutality against pro-Palestinian protesters to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” - Hyperallergic

The Navy Veteran Who Titles His Paintings After Octavia Butler And Dostoyevsky

“'You do four years in the Navy, and you see a lot of blue water,’ said Price, standing in his studio in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.” - The New York Times

The Art Detective Who Follows Clues To Stolen Paintings In A Shadowy, Underground Ecosystem

“One afternoon, Brand says he opened his door and found a blue IKEA bag on his doorstep. Inside, he says, was a pillow soaked in blood. Wrapped within it was the missing Van Gogh.” - NPR

Trump’s Handpicked Arts Commission Says Plans For New White House Entry “Not Beautiful Enough”

The federal Commission of Fine Arts has taken issue with plans for a new 33,000-square-foot security screening center for White House visitors, saying the proposed facility is too big and not beautiful enough. - The New York Times

Trump’s Handpicked Arts Commission Approves 250th Birthday Gold Coin — With Trump’s Image

The coin, which is supposed to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, shows Mr. Trump with his fists pressed against a desk and a glowering expression on his face. The back of the coin features an eagle. - The New York Times

New Obama Presidential Library Makes Big Bets On Art

Obama and his wife, Michelle, envisioned art as being a fundamental part of the $800 million Obama Presidential Center when it opens on Juneteenth after 10 years of planning and construction. - WBEZ

Venice Mayor Will Close Russia’s Biennale Pavilion If It Is Used For ‘Propaganda”

“Russia … is a problem, but the Russian people are not. I’m pro-Ukrainian, everyone knows that, I've twinned Venice with Odessa. (But) we must work to ensure that culture isn't censorship,” said Luigi Brugnaro. “If the Russian government were to carry out propaganda, we would be the first to close the pavilion.” - The Art Newspaper

Finally: We Know Who Spent $70M On Beeple’s NFT

If anyone was still wondering who owns Everydays, there you have it: Sundaresan. - ARTnews

Archaeologists Confirm Location Of The Lost City Of Ancient Alexandria

Alexandria on the Tigris (later renamed Charax Spasinou) was one of several major cities founded by the Macedonian general, the most famous of which is Alexandria in Egypt, today the country’s second largest metropolis. - ARTnews

A New Underground Entrance To The White House?

Visitors currently enter the White House through a series of temporary tents and trailers operated by USSS on East Executive Avenue. The proposed 33,000-square-foot visitor center would be to the west quadrant of Sherman Park, so as to avoid subterranean sewer tunnels and “reduce visual impact.” - The Architect's Newspaper

Why Are Korean Cities Vying To Host Famous Western Museums?

Experts note that the momentum is part of a global shift that has gathered pace since the late 1990s: an alignment between cities navigating economic and demographic change and legacy Western institutions seeking more resilient revenue streams. - Korea Times

Madrid’s Prado Museum Institutes Crowd Control Measures

“The newly announced measures (against overcrowding) include slashing the (maximum) size of visitor groups from 30 to 20. Access for groups will also be limited to the museum’s off-peak hours between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.” - Artnet

A San Francisco Museum Will Sell Its Large, Well-Located Building

The Contemporary Jewish Museum, which temporarily closed in late 2024 and laid off 80% of its staff, will sell its 63,000 square-foot building in the Yerba Buena neighborhood. The museum’s next steps beyond the sale are not yet clear, though management says it intends to reopen. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

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