This Week in Art News
A $100 Million Lawsuit Against NYC Museums, & More
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.)
This week proved that the art world never rests. We expected there wouldn’t be much to report on, but alas, there was—from news on a conspiracy theory-esque lawsuit to a review of a feminist exhibit that the reviewers thought was, well, too feminist-centric.
Probably the two most important words in the article are the headline’s first two. That is: take this case with a grain of salt. An artist, Robert Cenedella, has alleged that New York’s five biggest museums (the Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim, the New Museum, and the Whitney) have conspired to keep prices for a select group of artists high, to keep other museums and galleries out of the bidding. Though the case was dissolved, the judge did “leave the door open for Cenedella to try again,” as Artforum reports. Perhaps his claim was just too big, hiding a bit of truth lying underneath.
In a review of the “Women Power Protest” exhibit at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, The Guardian gives an unflinching account of work by 60 forgotten, overlooked, and underappreciated female artists: “In an industry where female artists are paid 80% less than men and make up just 30% of the Tate’s collection, Women Power Protest is undeniably an important exhibition. But, in using the suffrage flag as the starting point, these artists are forced into categories that hone in on their experience of femaleness rather than allowing them to shout about the nuanced and varied issues in their work.”
And to celebrate an often overlooked female artist (and one of the curatorial team’s favorites), we’re featuring our playlist, The New Woman: Frances Benjamin Johnston. Enjoy.
Outside of an academic context, it can be rare to be walked through the meaning of a work; most exhibits instead offer its art historical relevance. But in an article by Roslyn Sulcas of the New York Times, we get a comprehensive (to say the least) take on Robert Rauschenberg’s “The 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece,” a mixed media piece that is literally a quarter of a mile long, currently being shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The essay should be required reading for all those planning to attend the exhibit. For everyone else, it’s still a remarkable example of art writing.
We’re currently awash in “Best of 2018” lists, but I chose this one from ARTnews for focusing on what was most liked by readers. It’s also listed chronologically, so it doesn’t just rank the news items, but walks us through a year that was jam-packed with milestones, scandal, and celebration.
With so many new photography books on the market every year, it can be hard to decide which to buy (whether or not they’ll spend their lives untouched on our coffee table). This list, from Art in America, is concise and relevant, giving us the “what you need to know” high-level summary of each pick.
