American filmmaker and visual artist David Lynch, a visionary in the truest sense of the word, passed away yesterday at age 78.
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January 17, 2025

American filmmaker and visual artist David Lynch, a visionary in the truest sense of the word, passed away yesterday at age 78. Film critic Dan Schindel writes today about Lynch’s singular contribution to film history. He will be missed.

In the news, major art institutions and grantmakers band together to aid artists impacted by the devastating fires in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the National Gallery of Art in DC wades into controversy after agreeing to host a fundraiser for Donald Trump's inauguration.

Also today: Natasha Boas rounds up major highlights from the upcoming San Francisco Art Week, John Yau reviews Sylvia Plimack Mangold’s latest show in New York, and Debra Brehmer writes about love and heartache in Frida Kahlo’s work. Also, don't forget to check out our beloved weekly columns Required Reading and A View From the Easel. Have a great Friday!

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

David Lynch, Conjurer of the Uncanny, Dies at 78

The visionary film director and artist was an institution unto himself — primarily of cinema, but also painting, music, photography, and culture at large. | Dan Schindel

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Showcasing research from across Tate over the past decade, the event on January 22 also considers the broader significance of building an international researcher network.

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IN THE NEWS

LATEST IN ART

Sylvia Plimack Mangold Turns Trompe L’oeil Inside Out

Rather than trying to fool us with her representational paintings or showing off her virtuosity in the realm of resemblance, everything is on the surface. | John Yau

Frida Kahlo’s Elegy to Heartache

Despite the fact that most of humanity has shared the devastating emotional turmoil of a breakup, the topic is strangely elusive in the history of art. | Debra Brehmer

What to See in San Francisco Art Week

The celebratory and regenerative bells of Davina Semo and Ashwini Bhat, Kota Ezawa’s Alcatraz-inspired “video mural,” and more. | Natasha Boas

MORE FROM HYPERALLERGIC

A View From the Easel

“After teaching middle school for years, quiet still feels like a rare and precious luxury. Many ideas come to me amidst this silence.” | Lakshmi Rivera Amin

Required Reading

This week: subway art honors NYC’s Native history, García Márquez on Netflix, Rachmaninoff’s last student turns 100, test-driving IKEA rooms, and much more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Revisiting David Lynch’s Classic Blue Velvet with Behind-the-Scenes Footage

Rich in interviews and ephemera from the making of Lynch’s classic, Blue Velvet Revisited is ultimately disappointing as a standalone artistic achievement. | Jon Hogan

TRANSITIONS

Juana Berrío was named senior director of programs at the Calder Gardens.

Nathalie Bonjour was appointed head of performing arts at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

Mathieu Cherkit is now represented by Miles McEnery Gallery.

Martina Droth was named director of the Yale Center for British Art.

Emelie Gevalt was named deputy director and chief curatorial and program officer at the American Folk Art Museum.

Soyoung Lee was named director and chief executive officer of the Asian Art Museum.

Kristina Newman-Scott was named vice president for Arts at the Knight Foundation.

Tashae Smith was appointed assistant curator of African art at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Pioneer Works announced its 2025 Visual Art residents. They are Zainab Aliyu, Zalika Azim, Maya Jeffereis, Mustarinda (Miina Kaartinen & Sanna Ritvanne), Armando Rosales, Kara Springer, Ping Wang, Yujie Zhou, Matt Bruinooge, Peggy Chiang, Biraaj Dodiya, Cameron Granger, Mae Howard, Hanson Okere, and Samora Pinderhughes. See the full list including Pioneer Works’s 2025 Music Residents here.

Rogelio Báez Vega, Teresa Baker, and Suzanne Bocanegra are among the recipients of the 2024 Stepping Stone Grants from Trellis Art Fund. See the full list here.

Chimurenga, HAMBRE HAMBRE HAMBRE, and Reliable Copy are the inaugural winners of the Printed Matter Publisher Work Grant.

Derek Fordjour, Scheherazade Tillet, and Salamishah Tillet are the 2025 Gordon Parks Art & Writing Fellows. Mikki Ferrill and LeRoy Henderson will be honored by the foundation’s Legacy Initiative.

FEATURED OPPORTUNITY

John Michael Kohler Arts Center – Arts/Industry Residency

Focus on creating work using industrial materials and processes in studios at Kohler Co.’s factory in Wisconsin. Experience in clay and metal is not required. Twelve three-month residencies are open for 2026. Read more on Hyperallergic.
Deadline: February 28, 2025 | jmkac.org

See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!

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