Author: ArtsJournal2

Adding Back In The Workers That Art About Los Angeles So Often Forgets

For instance, David Hockney’s “splash” paintings created an idea of Los Angeles that was cool and secluded. Artist Ramiro Gomez imagines what was going on behind the scenes in No Splash – and other scenes of “cool” LA. “He creates these paintings more as questions than as heavy, social statements, using the words ‘subtle anger’ to explain his motivation. ‘I try to stay away from didactic work,’ he says. ‘I leave that to the activists. I’m trying to find the middle ground.'” – The Guardian (UK)

The Wedding Dress That Cost The Cooper Hewitt Director Her Job

In a reversal of fortune story that seems nigh-on impossible given certain trends in federal government, Caroline Baumann “was forced to resign as director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan last week following an investigation by the Smithsonian’s inspector general into potential problems regarding the procurement of the dress and the wedding space.” – The New York Times

Is E.L. James The Best Writer Of The Past 30 Years?

Or is it Barack Obama? How about Hilary Mantel? That’s right, all of them are squaring off in a new book prize in Britain. (But seriously: Who put the author of Fifty Shades of Grey on the same list as the author of Wolf Hall?) The British Book Awards “celebrate the best of writing and publishing: the books that defined their genre or launched a trend” (in which case, we’re pretty sure E.L. James is the actual winner here). – The Guardian (UK)

Taking Aim Against (Part Of) Amazon With A New Website

Can a new website help indie bookstores compete with the retail behemoth? The American Booksellers Association thinks so. “‘We believe that there are consumers who shop online and would choose to support indie bookstores if there were a visible and convenient alternative to Amazon and others,’ the ABA said when it announced its partnership with Bookshop last month.” – Forbes

Inside The Sad, Sudden, Dramatic Demise Of The Marciano Art Foundation

Was it a dispute between art workers and ultra rich owners, a lack of attendance – or so much more? The shut-down “raises questions about the public benefit of private museums run by wealthy art collectors as foundations. Such establishments, often viewed by skeptics as vanity projects or tax shelters, have mushroomed in recent years.” – Los Angeles Times

The Young Star Of ‘Queen Of Katwe,’ Nikita Pearl Waligwa, Has Died At 15

Waligwa was diagnosed with a brain tumor the same year she starred in the movie with David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. Oyelowo wrote on Instagram, “We mourn the loss of our beautiful Nikita Pearl Waligwa. … She was a ball of light in @queenofkatwemovie and in life. Her battle with a brain tumor was humbling to witness. Her light will live on.” – The Hollywood Reporter

Making Art So Big It Can’t Be Ignored

Jordan Casteel paints portraits – huge portraits. And that means something to her subjects. “‘I knew I wanted to use this opportunity to place my mom and I in the art historical canon,’ said Emmanuel Amoakohene, one of Ms. Casteel’s students, who posed with his mother in 2019. The scale of the radiant, seven-foot canvas, he said, ‘makes me feel like I matter.'” – The New York Times