April 29, 2023

This week the heavens smiled on us and Americans from coast to coast broke into song and dance as news came out that Tucker Carlson is going off the air. Alas, I suspect Carlson will likely return bigger, and more bitter, to claim his revenge.

And while you and I would like to call ourselves "anti-colonialists," there is an emerging school of what Oxford professor and curator Dan Hicks calls "anti-anti-colonialists” in his latest article for Hyperallergic. They want us to forgive the British Empire for its colonial sins, arguing that empires do what they need to do.

We also saw the return of climate protests in museums after a few months of calm. This time it was a pair of middle-aged activists smearing paint over the case and pedestal of an Edgar Degas sculpture at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. "We're adults; we should be at home working," said one of the activists. I had that same thought.

There’s that and a lot more this week, including the rebirth of Botticelli’s Venus as a social media influencer, the benefits of melancholic art, and people who believe they're living in a Wes Anderson movie. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

Beware the Rise of Anti-Anti-Colonialism

Two new books by Nigel Biggar and Adam Kuper advocate for wilful amnesia and collective repression of British colonial brutality. | Dan Hicks

WHAT'S HAPPENING

• Activists smear black and red paint over an Edgar Degas sculpture in a climate action at the National Gallery of Art.

• Some think Italy’s new tourism campaign, which reinvents Botticelli’s Venus as a “virtual influencer,” trivializes the nation’s cultural heritage.

• ProPublica reports that 85% of Native Art objects gifted to the Met Museum by Charles and Valerie Diker lack established ownership histories.

• A new theory suggests that Michelangelo painted himself as God in his famous Sistine Chapel fresco, “The Creation of Adam.”

• After multiple attempts to pay off its debt, the San Francisco Art Institute has filed for bankruptcy.

LATEST IN ART

Matt Bollinger, Painter of the Forgotten  

By dealing with class in his art, Bollinger touches on the strain infecting the current “us and them” situation in the United States. | John Yau

Memories of a Long-Gone, Gritty New York

Bill Rice’s paintings are glimpses of Manhattan’s old East Village of crime, abandonment, cruising, and hanging out. | Joe Fyfe

The Rebel Legacy of LA’s ASCO Chicano Art Group

A weekend pop-up draws connections between the influential East Los Angeles art group and a new generation of Chicano artists in the city. | Matt Stromberg

The Untold History of Japan’s Women Artists

Her Brush is kin with the growing number of women-only presentations that reveal a fact hiding in plain sight­­: great women artists existed everywhere at all times. | Kealey Boyd

The Overlooked Art of Route 66

Friends of the Orphan Signs sees abandoned roadside signs as a creative and educational opportunity, turning them into revitalized works of art. | Rachel Harris-Huffman

Past Lives of the Hudson River

Works by Hudson River School painters heading to auction reveal what changed and what stayed the same. | Elaine Velie

ON FILM 

The Comedians Who Helped Define Generation X

In the early ’90s, the Kids in the Hall transgressed boundaries of propriety, gender, sexuality, even species as an alternative to binary thinking. | Natalie Haddad

A Film to Watch With Closed Eyes

Director Sam Green wants viewers to fully engage their ears in a sonic journey of 32 soundscapes. | Dan Schindel

Banned Pakistani Film Joyland Arrives in New York

Saim Sadiq’s award-winning film is still banned in Punjab, where it was filmed. | Rhea Nayyar

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

You’ve Heard of the Met Gala, But Do You Know Brooklyn’s “People’s Ball”?

Unlike the Met Museum’s fest, this beloved Brooklyn celebration is completely free and no invitation is required. | Elaine Velie

Artists Reflect on Dalit History Month

Taking inspiration from Black History Month, Dalit artists and activists fighting for caste abolition celebrate April as a month of resistance and pride. | Sadaf Padder

Why Depressing Art Is Good for You

From Ilya Repin to Charlie Kaufman, artists who explore the darkest human impulses can give us hope and inspire us to be better. | Tim Brinkhof

Tucker Carlson Is Out and the Memes Are In

The internet is celebrating the ousting of the Fox News host with a rich buffet of gloating and green M&Ms. | Sarah Rose Sharp

Required Reading

This week, looking back at New York City’s first community garden, honoring Harry Belafonte’s life in photos, medication abortions across history, and how did a LACMA statue end up on Craigslist? | Hrag Vartanian and Lakshmi Rivera Amin

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IN OUR STORE

“Seven Sistas” Tea Towel x Kaylene Whiskey

This Mother’s Day, give the gift of art! Aboriginal Australian artist Kaylene Whiskey populates her work with playful portrayals of important women in her life, like the pop stars, superheroes, and family members depicted on this linen tea towel.

Check out more art-inspired tea towels!