“[Patrik] Schumacher, one of four people appointed by Hadid to take responsibility for her estate, has begun court proceedings to have the other three removed as executors – leaving him in control. … However, the trio – Rana Hadid, Peter Palumbo and Brian Clarke – are fighting back. Rana Hadid, the late architect’s niece, said her aunt ‘would have been devastated to learn what Schumacher is doing’.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
New Biennial Will Be Devoted To Indigenous Art
The Winnipeg Indigenous Biennial, to be hosted by the Winnipeg Art Gallery beginning in 2020, will focus at first on contemporary work by indigenous artists in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; organizers plan for it to become, over the years, a showplace and launching pad for indigenous art and artists from all over the world.
At Chinese Academy Awards, Winner Calls For Independent Taiwan, And Screens Go Black
“Documentary filmmaker Fu Yue called for Taiwan to be recognised as an ‘independent entity’ during her acceptance speech [at the Golden Horse awards], fighting back tears as she said, ‘this is my biggest wish as a Taiwanese’. Her speech was quickly censored on Chinese television and streams, with the coverage going black.”
The Things You Find Behind Doors, Like A Velazquez
In recent days, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston has rehung a painting called Kitchen Maid (c. 1620) with a new label, “attributed to Velazquez.” The work used to hang in its decorative arts mansion, Rienzi, partially blocked by a door! At that point, it was labeled “in the style of Diego Velázquez.”
Souls Grown Deep, A Foundation That Saves And Collects Works By Overlooked Black Artists In The South
The Atlanta-based organization currently holds more than 1,000 works, by artist ranging from the self-taught Nellie Mae Rowe (whose materials include old egg cartons and chewing gum) to the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Along with collecting work themselves, the staffers of Souls Grown Deep are working to place pieces by their artists in museum collections.
How The Idea Of World History Became Possible In The Year 1000 AD
Even Herodotus never considered how to integrate the historic timelines of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians. The problem was the lack of any fixed common calendar, any agreed-upon way of determining which year was which and what happened when, since each civilization had its own notional Year One. Then, because he got tired of having to consult many different books, the ruler of a kingdom on the Caspian Sea asked a Persian scholar to develop a timeline that could cover all peoples and their histories. (It was only happenstance that this happened in a year that carried a big round number in the European calendar.)
Could This Be The Next Big Art Market Scandal?
“Third-party guarantees at auction — the art market’s hybrid of a risk hedge and a speculative gamble — are on track to hit an all-time high of around $2.5bn in 2018. … Such deals are now the norm for high-value Impressionist, Modern and contemporary works. But experts warn that third-party guarantees, if misused, may precipitate a crisis.”
There’s Just No End — Narrative Closure Is Becoming A Thing Of The Past
Amanda Hess: “The age of the sequel is over. Now it’s the age of the sequel to the sequel. Also the prequel, the reboot, the reunion, the revival, the remake, the spinoff and the stand-alone franchise-adjacent film. Canceled television shows are reinstated. Killed-off characters are resuscitated. Movies do not begin and end so much as they loiter onscreen. And social media is built for infinite scrolling. Nothing ends anymore, and it’s driving me insane.”
American Theatre Criticism Is Finally Beginning To Bounce Back, And To Get More Diverse
Howard Sherman surveys the current landscape, where experienced critics discarded by legacy publications are now turning up at high-quality websites, and, though an imbalance remains, a few of those legacy outlets have hired younger female and nonwhite writers. (Sherman seems to have forgotten about Hilton Als, though.)
Ai Weiwei Says He’s Done With Museum Shows — And China May Be Done With Him
“Q: But are you allowed to go back?
A: You never really know … they told me I’m free, I’m allowed to go back.
Q: But you’re not sure that they’re telling you the truth?
A: I don’t know if they even know the truth.”