May 17, 2024

Remember earlier this month when feminist activists in France tagged Gustave Courbet’s “The Origin of the World” with the “Me Too” slogan? In an opinion piece today, writer Billie Walker argues that the performance “signifies precisely what is wrong with current feminist discourse.” Give it a read.

Meanwhile, a Leonora Carrington painting shatters the artist’s auction records, fetching $28.5 million. Read our report to find out who the buyer is (spoiler alert: It’s a man).

Also today: M. Charlene Stevens on Maureen St. Vincent’s “monstrous femininity,” the beguiling magic of Man Ray’s early films, Required Reading, and artist studios from across the globe in A View From the Easel. Happy Friday, everyone.

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

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Spray-Painting “Me Too” on a Courbet Is Not the Feminism We Need

Deborah De Robertis’s protest performance signifies precisely what is wrong with current feminist discourse. | Billie Walker

Just Launched: New Monotypes by Emma McIntyre at David Zwirner

Created at an off-the-grid print shop in the Mojave Desert, Emma McIntyre’s vibrant new series builds on her experimental techniques. Informed by the topography in which they were created, these unique works on paper intertwine desert influences with motifs from her painted oeuvre.

Explore now

IN THE NEWS

Leonora Carrington’s 1945 masterpiece “Les Distractions de Dagobert” sells for $28.5 million at auction, shattering records. The sale ranks Carrington in first place among the most valuable UK-born woman artists on the public market.

FROM OUR CRITICS

Man Ray’s Beguiling and Bemusing Filmscapes

Man Ray’s Return to Reason film series anticipated the extent to which the motion picture would inform how we curate and call up memory. | Eileen G’Sell

OXH Gallery Debuts Exhibition Exploring Motherhood

Women artists from around the world delve into the complexities of maternity and the body in this new show in Tampa, Florida.

Learn more

The Monstrous Femininity of Maureen St. Vincent

The artist’s aquatic pastels represent women who cannot be domesticated or controlled. | M. Charlene Stevens

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

A View From the Easel

“I like to work in the afternoon and evening when the sun is crescendoing to absorb the beauty of the golden hour.” | Lakshmi Rivera Amin

Required Reading

This week, remembering writer Alice Munro, double standards for student protesters, the cinematic history of cigarettes, BBC’s iconic jingle, and more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin and Elaine Velie

IN MEMORIAM

Blaise Mandefu Ayawo (1968–2024)
Member of the Congolaise collective Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation representing the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale | Artnews

John Beadle (1964–2024)
Multidisciplinary Bahamian artist | ArtReview

Roger Corman (1926–2024)
Filmmaker | New York Times

Bryan Illsley (1937–2024)
Self-taught painter, poet, and book-maker | Guardian

Eberhard Kornfeld (1923–2024)
Art dealer, collector, and historian | New York Times

Claude van Lingen (1931–2024)
Time-based artist | Glasstire

William Noel (1955–2024)
Curator and researcher of rare books | Princeton University Library

Verna Shmavonian (1931–2024)
Documentary film producer and writer | Philadelphia Inquirer

Barbara Stauffacher Solomon (1928–2024)
Graphic designer, landscape architect, and artist | New York Times

TRANSITIONS

Hoor Al Qasimi was named artistic director of the 2026 Biennale of Sydney.

JoAnne Carson is now represented by DC Moore Gallery.

Gianna Drake-Kerrison was appointed to the board of directors of the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts.

Nigel Freeman was named head of Fine Art at Swann Galleries.

Pélagie Gbaguidi is now represented by Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel.

Josh Kline is now represented by Lisson Gallery in collaboration with 47 Canal and Modern Art.

Alicja Kwade is now represented by OMR in collaboration with Pace, 303 Gallery, Mennour, and i8 Gallery.

Gwen O’Neil is now represented by Almine Rech.

Joey Orr was appointed deputy director and chief of curatorial affairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Trent Riley was named executive director of Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

The Estate of Euan Uglow is now jointly represented by Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert and Frankie Rossie Art.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Delbert Anderson, Schon Matthew Duncan, Donna Hogerhuis, Lindsay McIntyre, Mikayla Patton, and Sterling Anthony Schreiber II were awarded the 2024 Forge Fellowship from Forge Project. Read more on Hyperallergic.

American Artist, Carlos Martiel, and Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya are the 2024 New York City Artadia Awardees.

Andrés Anza was awarded the 2024 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.

Tomas Colbengtson won the Queen Sonja Print Award.Rabbya Naseer won the 2024 Belvedere Art Award.

Li Yi-Fan won Taipei’s Golden Harvest Award for Outstanding Short Film at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.