April 15, 2023

I haven't been able to stop laughing at the story of a woman who drove her Rolls-Royce through the backyard of a prominent Palm Beach collector. The most ironic (can we even call it that?) part is in the kicker by Rhea Nayyar, namely that the car only sustained $2,000 in damage.

New developments in the case of Basquiat forgeries at the Orlando Museum of Art as a Los Angeles auctioneer confessed to concealing the provenance. Meanwhile, in Santa Fe, the closing of the Center for Contemporary Arts is causing waves of concern in the regional and Indigenous art communities. And finally, a 19th-century stained-glass window in Rhode Island is "said to be the only known stained-glass depiction of a Black Christ." Elaine Velie has the fascinating story behind this image that was, for many reasons, radical for its time.

This is also a great week to learn about many artists whose work you may not know, including Mina Loy, Kenturah Davis, Kate Laster, and Rigo 23.

I'd like to draw your attention to one extra special interview … Jordan Eddy talked to critic Lucy Lippard and Lisa Le Feuvre, the executive director of the Holt/Smithson Foundation, about the legacy of artist Nancy Holt. When Holt died in 2014, she still owned about 95% of her artworks. It's a fascinating conversation.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

In Celebration of Unloveliness

We go to Raphael for idealized beauty. But what if a painting were the opposite of beautiful, and utterly arresting for that very reason? | Michael Glover

WHAT'S HAPPENING 

• A rare stained-glass portrait of a Black Christ is linked to a group of wealthy White women with a complicated history.

• LA auctioneer confesses to concealing the provenance of and creating the Basquiat forgeries exhibited at the Orlando Museum of Art.

• A Florida woman drives a Rolls-Royce through the backyard of a prominent art collector, striking a $3M Damien Hirst sculpture.

• Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts, one of the few led by a Native American woman, has closed permanently.

• RISD students walk out in solidarity with striking custodians, demanding the school bargain fairly with workers seeking a livable wage.

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A CLOSER LOOK

New York Has Something to Learn From San Francisco

The city could use more political public murals like those of the artist known as Rigo 23. | John Yau

Reclaiming the Story of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw

For too long, the New York potter was mistakenly identified as White and of French descent. | Annabel Keenan

The Never-Before-Seen Photographs of Barkley L. Hendricks

Most people know the artist for his paintings gracefully embodying the Black experience in America. In an upcoming exhibition, his photographs take center stage. | Briana Ellis-Gibbs

The World Is Finally Ready for Mina Loy

A new exhibition and forthcoming book honor the overlooked 20th-century female artist. | Lauren Moya Ford

THE SACRED & ANCESTRAL

Kate Laster Carves Ancestral Memory Into Paper

“My art is about the people we carry with us,” she told Hyperallergic. | Isabella Segalovich

On the Sacred Magic of Writing

With Dark Illumination, artist Kenturah Davis creates opportunities for us to see the sacred and meditative in the words we write. | AX Mina

The Complex Spiritualities of Syncretic Beliefs

While candles, images of saints, and other idols are common in households in Puerto Rico, the meanings owners ascribe to them can be unexpected. | Sebastián Meltz-Collazo

BRUTALISTS TO KNOW

10 Brutalist Architects You Probably Never Heard Of

Listed alphabetically by architect, but also broken down chronologically at the end of the book, The Brutalists is a definitive tome for fans of the form, as well as those looking to expand their understanding of Brutalism’s context, contradictions, and contributors.

Sarah Rose Sharp has listed a few lesser-known Brutalist architects (according to Hopkins) — just a sampling among dozens of the book's entries.

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

The Celestial Alignments of Nancy Holt

Lucy Lippard and Lisa Le Feuvre discuss the legacy of the famed American artist. | Jordan Eddy

Spinning a Web of Murakami’s Stories

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman captures Haruki Murakami’s combination of low-key magical realism, sexual neurosis, and loneliness. | Dan Schindel

An Artist’s Cardboard Shrine of Moments

Detroit’s Huckleberry Explorer’s Club, founded by Stefany Anne Golberg, monumentalizes the bits of existence that linger beneath the quotidian. | Sarah Rose Sharp

15 Art Shows to See in New York This Month

Your list of must-see, fun, insightful, and very New York art exhibitions this April, including Shellyne Rodriguez, Susan Bee, Mandy Al-Sayegh, Corydon Cowansage, and more. | Hrag Vartanian, Hakim Bishara, and Valentina Di Liscia

Required Reading

This week, uncovering clues about the Benin Bronzes, the British Museum takes everything but a joke, Hollywood writers vote on a strike, and popcorn bags can do what? | Hrag Vartanian and Lakshmi Rivera Amin

IN OUR STORE

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