April 22, 2023

This week, Hakim Bishara was in Cambridge, MA, to cover a die-in at one of the last institutions still connected to the Sackler name, Harvard University's Arthur M. Sackler Museum. I just want to point out my favorite sign at the protest, which reads, "Do You Think You're Better Than the Louvre!?" Priceless.

An AI-generated image that captured Sony World Photography Awards' Creative category is making waves as people are starting to ask, yet again, what constitutes a photograph. I remember that similar debates raged (and continue to do so) around the question of screenshots as a type of photography, but the AI debate may have a far larger impact on the way we distinguish and use AI content.

We also have John Yau's review of Maia Ruth Lee, Eileen G'Sell's look at Nicole Eisenman's printmaking, Erin Thompson's discussion of a new book about museum provenance, and Sarah Rose Sharp's tour of Chicago's miniature art fair.

And finally, we have an interview with Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who remains behind bars at Cuba's Guanajay maximum security prison. To ensure that his words are spread far and wide, news editor Valentina Di Liscia translated the article from Spanish, and both languages are available in the post.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Here's to a relaxing weekend.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

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The Stories of Art History’s Detectives

The provenance researcher must be a detective, figuring out alternative ways to get at information that major participants in the trade are often unwilling to disclose. | Erin L. Thompson

NEWS THIS WEEK

Harvard University students staging a die-in at the school's Arthur M. Sackler Museum (photo by Hakim Bishara/Hyperallergic)

• Harvard University students and PAIN activists staged a die-in demanding the removal of the Sackler family’s name from its walls.

• A new Florida bill would allow civilians to sue local governments over the removal of Confederate monuments.

• Archaeologists uncover a 3,200-year-old cemetery in Saqqara, shedding light on the funerary practices of the Ancient Egyptian elite.

• Boris Eldagsen refuses his win of the Sony World Photography Awards' Creative category for his AI-generated submission.

• An 18th-century statue by prominent British sculptor John Bacon was recently discovered scribbled with blue crayon. 

ONE-ON-ONE

Can You Buy the Time of a Political Prisoner?

Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who remains behind bars at the Guanajay maximum security prison, talks to Claudia Genlui Hidalgo about his latest — and unconventional — project.

LATEST REVIEWS

A Tension in Paint Befitting Our Times

Maia Ruth Lee wants viewers to make associations as well as recognize the unstable world in which she and many others live. | John Yau

Depravity and Delights in Nicole Eisenman’s Prints

If God (and the Devil) are in the details, the craft of printmaking proves a powerful outlet for exploring Eisenman’s most enduring themes. | Eileen G'Sell

Celia Álvarez Muñoz Adds Color to Conceptualism

With an eye for unearthing cultural hypocrisy and advocating for exploited people, Álvarez Muñoz responds to social injustice in her colorful art. | Jennifer Remenchik

What Does a Post-Hurricane World Look Like?

An exhibition of contemporary work by Puerto Rican Artists at the Whitney captures the impossibility of going back and the difficulty of forging ahead. | Valentina Di Liscia

Art in the Early 2000s China Boom

Cruel Youth Diary: Chinese Photography and Video greets us with the dizziness befitting a period of rapid economic growth and social change. | AX Mina

A Global History of Women’s Photography Includes Over 300 Artists

This book unearths a trove of unseen images from the past two centuries. | Julia Curl

ON FILM

John Akomfrah Is Optimistic About the Future

A founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective, Akomfrah has explored Black life in Britain and beyond through acute observational films. | Dan Schindel

The Experience of Deafness in a Hearing World

Alison O’Daniel’s 2023 film The Tuba Thieves weaves a series of band room robberies in LA public schools into a moving exploration of sound and hearing. | Matt Stromberg

Internet Perplexed by Netflix’s Black Cleopatra

Critics say producer Jada Pinkett Smith and the streaming platform should center the stories of historical Black women instead of rewriting history. | Rhea Nayyar

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

We Need More Nuance When Talking About Repatriation

Patricia Marroquin Norby, the Met Museum’s curator of Native American Art, reflects on the lesser-discussed everyday challenges of repatriation work. 

Can We Ever Get Closer to Vermeer?

Even when his style is at its most self-effacing, smoothly drawing us into the moment, we remain, inevitably, outside. | Natasha Seaman

Chicago’s Miniature Art Fair Is a Big Success

From an Anish Kapoor “Mini-Bean” to teeny immersive installations, Barely Fair is a much-needed break from the art world’s extravagance. | Sarah Rose Sharp

Meet the Oligarch Who Wants to Build the World’s Tallest Jesus Statue 

Armenia’s Trump-like business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan is determined to surpass Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer. | Simon Maghakyan

Required Reading

This week, digital media and virality, sleepovers at LA’s Last Bookstore, deconstructing “fusion” cuisine, Harvard’s dubious donors, Mr. Pillow owes $5M, and more. | Hrav Vartanian and Lakshmi Rivera Amin

IN OUR STORE

C’mon, Get Happy Enamel Pin

Who could argue with the optimistic message of this bright and colorful pin? It’s a miniature replica of a work by contemporary artist Deborah Kass, part of her series Feel Good Paintings For Feel Bad Times.

Shop more art-inspired enamel pins!