From a Drive-Thru Van Gogh Show to the Postponement of the Venice Biennale: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news—fast.

In the Giardini for the Venice Biennale. Image courtesy Ben Davis.

BEST?

Damien’s Top Dollar – British artist Damien Hirst once again made the Sunday Times “Rich List,” with a net-worth of £315 million ($384 million).

Sotheby’s Snags a Trove – The auction house will offer works from the sterling collection of the late Denver philanthropist Ginny Williams in a sale expected to fetch up to $50 million.

Let’s Gogh! – An exhibition in Toronto features floor-to-ceiling projections of Van Gogh paintings in an immersive experience that you can drive through.

Fashion Steps Up – Creative directors at the world’s largest fashion labels are pivoting to collaborate with artists and emerging designers who are struggling amid the global pandemic.

Meditations on the Future – UCCA Center for Contemporary Art director Phil Tinari called into the Art Angle podcast to discuss the new normal, as he reopens the museum in Beijing.

Dalí Daddy Drama – The psychic who claimed to be Salvador Dalí’s daughter must pay for the costs of exhuming his body, which incidentally proved he was not her father.

MFA Houston Moves Forward – The Texas museum is the first major American art institution to reopen since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; the San Antonio Museum of Art will follow suit a week later.

 

WORST?

Remembering Susan Rothenberg – The New York-born artist died at the age of 75, after a career marked by a focus on figuration.

Survey Says… – A new report says that cultural organizations stand to lose $6.8 billion year-over-year, or 26 percent of operating costs on average.

Venice Biennale Pushed – In a major shift for the high-profile art exhibition, the Venice Biennale has been moved from next year to 2022.

No Met This Summer – The Metropolitan Museum of Art will officially be closed until at least mid-August, and has cancelled all its live events, including the Met Gala.

Looted Antiquities at Hobby Lobby – The family behind Hobby Lobby and the Museum of the Bible are suing Christie’s for selling them an ancient tablet that was stolen from Iraq.

Viewing Room Doom – The initial excitement over online art events is wearing thin, as an onslaught of viewing rooms, emails, and virtual meetings continues (God help us all).

Step Away from The Scream – Adoring fans of Edvard Munch’s The Scream are actually hurting it, according to a new report, which says human breath is destroying the artwork.

Night at the Museum – A German student broke into the Australian Natural History Museum to take selfies with dinosaur skeletons and steal an artwork, though authorities quickly tracked him down.

Portrait in Peril – Trump is not hosting the Obamas for the unveiling of their official portraits at the White House, breaking with decades of tradition.


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