Each week, we scour the internet for the most significant, surprising, and outrageous art news—helping you stay informed (and sound smart). Have a suggestion? Let us know on social media (@meetmeural) with the tag #thisweekinartnews. (See all installments.)

1. “When Mexico Became a Surrealist Mecca” by Alexxa Gotthardt, Artsy

With artists flocking west, World War II was an unexpected cultural windfall for America, but it also benefited the US’s southern neighbor, specifically in the realm of Surrealism. As Artsy details, Mexico became rife with avant-garde painters starting in the ’30s. Some of the names are by now household—like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leonora Carrington. But others you might be hearing for the first time—like Wolfgang Paalen, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and Gunther Gerzso. For fans of the style, this article’s a must; others will be sure to find a browse stimulating.

2. “11 Outdoor Installations to See in New York This Summer” by Melissa Smith, The New York Times

Outdoor installations are perhaps most impactful when they come unexpectedly. But New York’s new generation of public sculptures, coming this summer, makes the case for making these installations a destination. The Times has chosen 11 installations to check out from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. If you’re a resident with a long lunch break or a traveler with some time to fill in, be sure to see what’s going up near you.

3. “Pistol that Van Gogh ‘used to shoot himself’ sells for £115,000 at Paris auction” by Adam Forrest, Independent

When an artwork auctions for an exorbitant price, we know it’s not purely the worth of the painting but its association with the artist. It should come as no surprise then, that items associated with artists should fetch impressive sums as well. As the Independent reports, the gun that Van Gogh “used to shoot himself” was sold for £115,000 (~ $146,000) at an auction in Paris. After the deed was done, it took two days for Van Gogh to die—and nearly 70 years for the gun to be found. Now it’s a rusted, decayed version of itself, but it’s apparently worth no less for it.

4. “An Exhibition of Gordon Parks’s Photography Suggest New Roles for African-American Collectors” by Jewels Dodson, Hyperallergic

Inequality in art was pervasive for millennia. Only recently have minority artists started to get their due. But the same could be said for the gatekeepers of the art world: gallery owners, curators, and collectors. That tide is shifting too. In just one example, we have the stalwart African-American photographer Gordon Parks and a collector of his, Kasseem Dean (also known as the DJ, rapper, and producer Swizz Beatz). Dean is not just bringing Parks’ work to more viewers, he’s rethinking what role a collector can take. As Hyperallergic puts it, Dean’s inventive thinking is “transforming the role of the collector, making it less mercenary and more progressive. He’s setting a new precedent for young collectors to challenge some of the more antiquated aspects of the art-as-business infrastructure with innovative solutions, remedies that may make art more egalitarian for artists and art lovers alike.”