March 29, 2023
Good morning. 🌤️ Remember our report from last week about the Florida principal who was forced out of her job over images of Michelangelo’s "David"? It happened after some parents complained that the Renaissance nude statue is "pornographic." What's amazing is that The Simpsons predicted this fiasco during its second season more than 30 years ago. And once again, Marge is the only voice of reason.
Also today: The Met Museum acquires a rare dual portrait of Dutch old master Rachel Ruysch, Ai Weiwei recreates Monet’s “Water Lilies” with LEGO bricks, a Greek museum opens its doors to dogs, and did van Gogh create “Starry Night” because he hated the Eiffel Tower?
— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
Dual Portrait of Old Master Rachel Ruysch Holds a Trove of Secrets
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has just acquired the rare painting, which depicts the Dutch artist at work surrounded by her signature flora. | Elaine Velie
SPONSORED
When I Am Empty Please Dispose of Me Properly
Ayanna Dozier, Ilana Harris-Babou, Meena Hasan, Lucia Hierro, Catherine Opie, Chuck Ramirez, and Pacifico Silano explore the myths of the American Dream at Brooklyn’s BRIC House. Learn more.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Vincent van Gogh, "The Starry Night" (1889), oil on canvas, 29.01 inches x 36.26 inches (image courtesy Google Art Project/via Wikimedia Commons)
Art historian James Hall believes that the celebrations for the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower could have inspired van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting.
An early episode of the Simpsons might haveforeseen Florida’s “David” outrage, making a dark prediction about conservative politics today.
TheNational Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens is welcoming furry friends and their pawrents for its “World Stray Animal Day” event.
SPONSORED
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Offers Summer Art and Design Courses Online and On-Campus
Emerging and established artists can choose from over 50 Adult Continuing Education courses at one of the most influential art and design schools in the US. Learn more.
LATEST IN ART
Memories So Fair and Bright
Kimetha Vanderveen's paintings are about the interaction of materiality and light, the bond between the palpable and ephemeral world in which we live. | John Yau
Ai Weiwei Recreates Monet’s "Water Lilies" Using 650,000 LEGOS
It’s the artist’s largest LEGO artwork to date. | Sarah Rose Sharp
SPONSORED
Tyler School of Art and Architecture Opens 2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition Series
Students working in diverse disciplines explore temporality, connectedness in time and space, and global reckonings. On view in Philadelphia. Learn more.
MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC
Artists Contemplate Sovereignty in Santa Fe
The Santa Fe Art Institute’s 2024 International Thematic Residency focuses on what sovereignty means for artists from across the world. | Maria Manuela
How Did Early Modern European Craftspeople Pass On Their Knowledge?
A new book about object making critically examines a written history of working with materials. | Nageen Shaikh
This Newsletter is Free!*
*Our content is free for anyone to read but is not free to produce. We need your support to continue bringing you our fearless reporting, reviews, and essays.
