February 10, 2022 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌤️ Today, Wikipedia is commissioning artists to paint portraits of underrepresented groups, Rotterdam residents are up in arms that billionaire Jeff Bezos wants to temporarily dismantle a historical bridge so his yacht can go through, and reviews of Brenda Goodman, Gisela McDaniel, and the oscar-nominated film The Worst Person in the World by director Joachim Trier.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief 

Brenda Goodman's Fearless Self-Portraits

While I have seen Goodman's self-portraits numerous times, the unlikely combination of raw pathos and tenderness always stops me in my tracks. | John Yau

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Wiki Unseen is a new initiative by the Wikimedia Foundation to improve visual representation on Wikipedia's pages (all courtesy Wikimedia Foundation)

• Wikipedia launches “Wiki Unseen,” a new initiative commissioning artists to paint portraits of individuals who are not currently portrayed on the site.

• Rotterdam residents pledge to throw rotten eggs at Jeff Bezos's mega-yacht as it passes through the city’s Koningshaven Bridge this summer.

• The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery extends the "Obama Portraits Tour" to San Francisco and Boston.

LATEST IN ART

A New Standard for Uplifting Black Narratives Through Conscious Curation

When the memory of the past and the potential of the future we long to see converge to meet us here, which direction do we turn? | Frederica Simmons

A Painter Takes a Collaborative Approach to the Portrait

Gisela McDaniel captures the voices and memories of her sitters and offers them the opportunity to narrate their own histories. | Anna Souter

FILM & MORE

The Worst Person in the World Is Among the Best Portraits of Modern Womanhood

Part of the glory of the film is that its heroine’s choices, however unexpected, are taken seriously. | Eileen G’Sell

Queer European Cinema Exposes the Realities of Migrant Experience

This rapidly expanding genre has had an upsurge since 2015, echoing the humanitarian crisis of a rising number of refugees entering the European Union. | Daniel Theophanous

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TRANSITIONS

Christopher Bedford was named director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Jane Carpenter-Rock and Eric Nastasi were appointed deputy directors at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Carpenter-Rock will serve as deputy director for museum content and outreach, and Nastasi will serve as deputy director for administration and finance.

Chase Hall is now represented by Eva Presenhuber Gallery.

Maria Nicanor was named director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Steven Loft was appointed vice president and Michelle LaVallee was appointed director of the National Gallery of Canada's new Department of Indigenous Ways and Decolonization.

Rob Lyon is now represented by Adams and Ollman Gallery.

Jorge Zamanillo was appointed founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

The Venice Biennale announced the 213 artists participating in its 2022 edition.

Valerie Cassel Oliver was awarded the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College’s Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence.

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