February 14, 2023

Good morning. 🌤️ Happy Valentine's Day! One thing to remember on this holiday: We must, first and foremost, love ourselves. No healthy relationship has ever bloomed from self-loathing, am I right?

I am right. Today, we report on how a nonprofit is using handmade Valentine's Day cards to uplift the spirits of women living with HIV, and we inquire: Did Diego Rivera help Frida Kahlo take her own life? A new documentary sheds some light on that, though art historians remain skeptical.

Also today: Native American artists protest against racist NFL mascots during the Super Bowl game, Colombia demands the repatriation of its ancient San Agustín statues from Germany, and a new exhibition explains the importance of cannabis in Jewish culture and history. The exhibition is hilariously titled Am Yisrael High. But today we're getting high on love, aren't we?

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

Shalom and Pass the Joint

A new exhibition reveals how Jewish people throughout history have embraced marijuana both spiritually and politically. | Billie Anania

WHAT'S HAPPENING

A portion of the pop-up exhibition for LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN at MoMA PS1 (photo Rhea Nayyar/Hyperallergic)

• Organized by Visual AIDS, “Love Positive Women” distributes hand-crafted Valentine's Day cards to women living with HIV.

• A grandson of Diego Rivera claims that the Mexican artist may have assisted Frida Kahlo in taking her own life in a new BBC documentary.

• Native artists protest the NFL’s racist mascots outside the Glendale, Arizona, stadium hosting Sunday night’s Super Bowl LVII.

Do you value Hyperallergic?

We need your support to continue publishing quality arts journalism and criticism.

LATEST IN ART

A Dazzling and Troubling Display of Spanish Expansion

While acknowledging the horrors of colonialism, Spain and the Hispanic World also highlights the exchange of traditions and ideas. | Olivia McEwan

Impressions From Mexico City’s Bustling Art Week

Alternative curatorial projects are taking creative risks and shaping Mexico City’s art fair ecosystem on their own terms. | Mebrak Tareke

ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC

Icons of Black American History, Illustrated

Graphic designer George McCalman presents a book featuring 145 portraits of Black pioneers, including the celebrated and unsung. | Emily Wilson

At Last, Colombia Demands the Return of Its San Agustín Statues

After decades of inaction, the Colombian government is demanding the repatriation of the ancient sculptures, currently held at a Berlin museum. | Pierre Losson

MOST POPULAR

1. It Was No Pearl Earring, Friends

2. Indiana School Catches Heat for Plan to Deaccession Works  

3. Basking in Vermeer’s Light at Rijksmuseum

4. Hirshhorn's New Reality Show Looks for America's Next Top Artist

5. The Art World "Darling" Who Went Rogue

IN OUR STORE

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Cupid Shoots Through Millennia of Art

The god of love and desire has fascinated and inspired artists since antiquity. | Hakim Bishara