December 8, 2022
Good morning. ⛅ Today, writers Alex Santana and Néstor David Pastor cast a critical eye on curator Helen Molesworth's true-crime podcast The Death of an Artist, which retells the story of the death of Cuban artist Ana Mendieta in 1985. To this day, many believe that Mendieta's husband, artist Carl Andre, pushed her to her death from the 34th floor of their Manhattan apartment (he was cleared of murder charges in 1988). I recommend you read the whole article, but here's a taste:
Throughout the series, Molesworth inserts herself into the narrative as a woman who has also faced the wrath of the art world. Not murdered, but fired from her position as chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in 2018. That silence, however, comes via a non-disclosure agreement, which dramatically softens whatever introspection or damning testimony would connect Molesworth’s experience to Mendieta’s, or the art world at large.
Also today, neo-Nazis crash a drag show in Florida, the American Museum of Natural History appoints a new president, reviews of Roberto Gil de Montes and Torkwase Dyson, and more.
— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
The Death of an Artist Podcast Failed Ana Mendieta
Helen Molesworth’s true-crime sensation marginalizes the artist’s life and legacy. | Alex Santana and Néstor David Pastor
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SVA’s Practice-Focused MA in Curatorial Studies Is for Professionals
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RISD Pre-Collegiate Programs Now Enrolling for Summer 2023
Rhode Island School of Design opens registration for its residential summer Pre-College program and year-round online intensive Advanced Program Online. Learn more.
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Nothing on the canvas wholly captures what it means to belong on land or at sea. | Mebrak Tareke
Torkwase Dyson Seeks Black Liberation Through Geometry
Dyson is part of a growing number of contemporary artists to imbue geometric abstraction with a sociopolitical dimension. | Jason Stopa
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IN MEMORIAM
Art Brewer (1951–2022)
Surf photographer | New York Times
Rafael Cauduro (1950–2022)
Mexican artist and muralist | Associated Press
Aline Kominsky-Crumb (1948–2022)
Artist and underground cartoonist | New York Times
Carlos Pacheco (1961–2022)
Spanish comic book artist | El País
