ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

VISUAL

A Short History Of Artists Sneaking Work Into Museums

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the museum applauded the mischievous initiative. “We think this is funny and would like to know the artist,” a spokesperson wrote. “So get in touch! There will be no trouble. Word of honor.” - Artnet

An AI-Powered Salvador Dalí, Answering Your Questions Via A Lobster Telephone

Yep, that's pretty surreal. - Forbes

Beautifully Preserved 2,000-Year-Old Frescoes Uncovered In Pompeii

"Mythical Greek figures ... are depicted on the high black walls of a large banqueting hall. … It was likely the walls' stark colour was chosen to hide the smoke deposits from lamps used during entertaining after sunset. In the shimmering light, the paintings would have almost come to life." - BBC

Museum Fires Employee After He Hung His Own Painting In Gallery

The museum fired a member of its technical services team after he was found to have hung one of his own paintings in a part of the gallery dedicated to modern and contemporary art, allowing him to share a space with works by pop art pioneer Warhol for an entire day. - The Guardian

Roberta Smith On 38 Years Of Art Criticism For The New York Times

"Critics need to be more flexible than artists. You have to be open to being changed and pushed into new directions. ... My main goal has always been to point out art that people would enjoy seeing, and to show them how I saw it and enjoyed it." - The New York Times

The Richard Serra Sculpture So Controversial It Was Put Before A Federal Tribunal

Tilted Arc (1981) was commissioned by U.S. General Services Administration for Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. "Serra intended to elicit a connection between those walking through the space and their surroundings. Tilted Arc did just that, and perhaps too well." - Artnet

Scientists Are Trying To Measure Our Emotional Reaction To Art

New scientific investigations into the embodied experience of viewing art point us toward more concrete answers, but also more questions. - Hyperallergic

Hindu Nationalism And The Taj Mahal

"How does the Taj Mahal’s history — one that has come to visually represent the period of the Mughal Empire, an Islamic empire — sit within the narrative of a contemporary India during a period when the Hindu nationalist movement is seeking to minimize, or perhaps erase, its Islamic past?" - JSTOR Daily

Finally, Some Good News For Orlando Museum of Art: A Major Gift Of Artworks

"(The donation) of more than 300 pieces, including works by Robert Mapplethorpe and Keith Haring, greatly diversifies the permanent holdings. The gift also opens a relationship with a New York City museum, sparks new educational opportunities and offers the beleaguered institution a morale-boosting sign of support." - Orlando Sentinel (MSN)

Workers Restoring San Francisco’s Castro Theatre Find 100-Year-Old Missing Arch

As with excavations near Egyptian pyramids, sometimes the team finds something they never expected. In the case of the Castro, it was an entire theatrical arch (known as a proscenium) that frames the stage. “It was hidden since the 1950s or '60s, when they went to wide-format Panavision movies." - San Francisco Standard

Portland (Oregon) Art Museum To Spend $111 Million On Renovation And Expansion

The project, which will add 95,000 square feet of new or upgraded public and gallery space and is expected to be complete late next year, is intended to make the museum and its grounds into a "cultural commons." - Artforum

Cost Of Quebec City Museum’s Expansion Has Doubled

"Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec’s Espace Riopelle addition has started — but the budget has almost doubled. The original budget was $42.5 million, but now that site preparation is beginning, the project's budget has ballooned to $84 million." - Galleries West (Canada)

The Art Of The Instagram Photo Dump

Photo dumps are reminiscent of Facebook albums: a collection of pictures you post to let the world know what you’ve been up to. Photo dumps feel retro. They’re the film cameras and vinyl music of posting. - The Smart Set

The Massive Multi-Million-Dollar Art Fraud (Despite Warnings)

His paintings sold for tens of thousands of dollars, but so did fakes created by former apprentices, strangers, even his own relatives. For years, Norval Morrisseau and Gabe Vadas, his business manager and adopted son, had witnessed dubious paintings pop up in galleries and collections across Canada. - The Walrus

Artist Mary Miss Sues To Stop The Des Moines Art Center’s Planned Destruction Of Her Work

"Seeking a temporary restraining order to preserve , Miss alleges that the Center both failed to consult her before determining that the installation wasn’t salvageable and allowed the work to deteriorate by not providing adequate care throughout its existence." - Hyperallergic

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