While people are starving to death in different parts of the world, a crypto billionaire pays $6.2 million for an ordinary banana and roll of tape in a Sotheby’s auction this week. Should we be impressed, amused, or pissed off at Maurizio Cattelan’s pseudo-critical, overpriced jest? Read my visceral thoughts about it and News Editor Valentina Di Liscia’s excellent report about the ins and outs of this controversial sale. For relevant art-historical context, listen to our new podcast episode with Northeastern University professor Eunsong Kim, author of The Politics of Collecting: Race and the Aestheticization of Property, about Marcel Duchamp, readymades, and the capitalism and racism undergirding some of the most prized museum collections. Meanwhile, the United States House of Representatives passes a draconian bill that would allow the incoming president to target nonprofits that don’t align with his political views. Our Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian explains the implications of this bill for art organizations ranging from large museums to small publications. Other highlights this week include Debra Brehmer’s interview with William Kentridge about his new streaming series Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot, and an illuminating conversation between artists Damien Davis and Ron Norsworthy about queer Black male beauty and pride in their work. And that’s only a snippet of the great articles we have for you this week. Finally, we’re hosting a virtual town hall meeting for Hyperallergic Members on December 10 at 6pm (EST). We will share updates about the state of the publication, discuss current challenges, and introduce you to some of our editors and reporters. If you’re not a member already, please join today! — Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
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Maurizio Cattelan swims in the same swamp as those he pretends to parody. | Hakim Bishara
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SPONSORED
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More than a million lights and 16 light sculptures sparkle along the reimagined mile-long winter trail. Learn more
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WHAT'S HAPPENING
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- A painting conservator and a chemist at the Getty Center may have cracked a mystery contained in the pigment of Vincent van Gogh’s “Irises” (1889).
- Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped banana artwork “Comedian” (2019) sold for $6.2 million at auction.
- Fifteen women artists received a $50,000, no-strings-attached grant from photographer Susan Unterberg’s annual Anonymous Was A Woman award.
- Stephanie Stebich was reportedly removed as director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum following years of staff complaints.
- Oregon-based artist Eunice Lulu Parsons, who elevated collage to new heights, dies at 108.
- The House of Representatives passed the Republican-led bill that could strip organizations of their tax-exempt status if they are deemed “terrorism-supporting.” Read Hrag Vartanian’s piece on how it can impact the arts.
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You’re currently a free subscriber to Hyperallergic. To support our independent arts journalism, please consider joining us as a paid member. |
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UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS
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Members can learn about our process, ask questions, and share feedback at our virtual town hall meeting on December 10.
Join Hyperallergic staff and members to celebrate the holidays at this exciting event.
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SPONSORED
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MCA Chicago’s new exhibition delves into the persistence of painting, challenging its longstanding traditions and mythologies to show a medium in constant reinvention. Learn more
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NEW PODCAST EPISODE
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Hrag Vartanian and author Eunsong Kim discuss the hidden power imbalances behind some of the most prominent pieces of 20th-century conceptual art.
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EXHIBITION REVIEWS
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Her figures are in a state of unrelenting grief about what it means to be human and to feel powerless about so much that happens to ourselves and others. | John Yau
An exhibition at The Met celebrates the work of self-taught artist Mary Sully, who neither exhibited nor profited from her work during her lifetime. | Julie Schneider
Finnish artist Tove Jansson’s childlike worlds are not pure escapism, but rather an expression of a state in which joy and fear are allowed to coexist. | Anna Souter
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ON FILM |
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The artist tells Hyperallergic about how the isolation of COVID-19 led to a streaming series set wholly within the bounds of his studio. | Debra Brehmer
A documentary screening in NYC this week combines animation, interviews, and archival material to tell the self-taught artist’s fascinating story. | Maya Pontone
Join or Die is part of a cresting wave of cultural production circling around the intertwined issues of loneliness, divisiveness, and our political right turn. | Alexis Clements
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BOOKS TO READ |
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Rosalind Fox Solomon forged her way as an artist at 53. With remarkable self-knowledge, A Woman I Once Knew lays out her nonagenarian life story. | Sarah Rose Sharp
Corky Lee’s Asian America is a stunning glimpse into the fight for racial justice over the last half-century — one many Americans haven’t seen. | Lavinia Liang
Author Nina Edwards weaves a seamless tale of the social, visual, and economic dimensions of the hidden garments that literally underpin our lives. | Rhea Nayyar
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ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC
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Ai Weiwei’s artistic interventions, Black artists’ responses to ancient Egypt, and the impressive offerings of El Museo’s 2024 triennial are among our favorite art shows of the moment. | Hrag Vartanian, Natalie Haddad, and Valentina
Norsworthy and I sat down to discuss his recent works, which wield the Ancient Greek myth of Narcissus to examine the power of beauty, who defines it, and how we can reclaim it. | Damien Davis
Two concurrent shows focused on the radical social and political possibilities of progressive art education in Chicago ask: Who is art really for? | Lori Waxman
Joe Fig’s Vermeer Contemplations series captures museum attendees closely engaging with the Dutch master’s work. | Rhea Nayyar
This week: a queer Black architect and her archives, the cozy tech aesthetic, “paleo-artists,” honest reviews of elementary school plays, nonsensical design, and much more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin Residencies, grants, open calls, and jobs from RISD, Ucross, the University of Michigan, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
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NYC HOUSING STORIES
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Artist Noah Fisher’s latest comics series depicts transformative moments in the lives of artists, activists, and organizers on the front lines of the housing affordability crisis in New York City. Here are this week’s profiles:
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