Weekly
December 26, 2021 • View in browser
This week, Erin Thompson shares the story of her incredible trip to Nepal to witness the return of a sacred Lakshmi-Narayan sculpture looted decades ago; she also writes about the Met Museum’s curious African Origins of Civilization exhibition that avoids the topic of looting. Reporter Valentina Di Liscia dives into the Guggenheim’s tax forms to discover that the museum director made a record $1.5M while 11% of staff was laid off. All this and reviews of Michael Mandiberg, Bob Thompson, Jane Freilicher and Thomas Nozkowski, Kandinsky, and much much more.
Look out for our Powerless list next week as we wrap up an eventful year and prepare for more adventures in 2022.
— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief
REPATRIATION
Returned to Nepal by the FBI, a Sculpture Becomes a God Again
Erin L. Thompson flies to Nepal to witness a ceremony replacing a looted Lakshmi-Narayan sculpture to its original location.
How the Met Museum Justifies Looting
Erin L. Thompson argues that the African Originsexhibition at The Met ignores the fact that approximately 160 objects from Benin are held by the museum under ongoing demands for their repatriation.
SPONSORED
Paintings by Bay Area Artist Mitchell Johnson on View Now in Menlo Park and NYC
Johnson’s paintings can be seen at Flea Street in Menlo Park, California, and in a group exhibition at Questroyal Fine Art in New York City. Learn more.
LATEST NEWS
A guerrilla projection by the artist-activist groups Artists for Workers and the Illuminator on the Guggenheim Museum’s facade in 2020.
Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong made a record $1.5M while the institution laid off staff throughout the pandemic.
A new wave of closures sweeps through art institutions across Europe in response to the alarming spread of the Omicron variant.
The Met Museum reduced its visitor capacity and suspended indoor dining in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases in New York.
The Royal Ontario Museum hires what is believed to be the first climate change curator.
Docs about Jamaica Kincaid, Confederate Monuments, Repatriation and more receive over $20M from Ford Foundation.
and... Brits rank museum curators among top 5 most trusted professions.
SPONSORED
MFA, MA, and PhD Programs to Apply for by Early 2022
ART
Installation view of Michael Mandiberg's Timeframe at Denny Dimin gallery
When an Artist’s Body Breaks Down, Human Relations Become Crucial
Seph Rodney on Michael Mandiberg’s Timeframeat Denny Dimin gallery.
Bob Thompson’s Provocative Challenge to Euro-American Art History
Billy Anania on Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine at Colby College Museum of Art.
An Intimate Look at the Landscape of the South Texas Borderlands
Lauren Moya Ford highlights South of the Checkpoint / North of the Riverat Presa House Gallery.
Thomas Nozkowski, “Untitled (8-40)” (2003).
Paintings Rather Than Pictures
John Yau on Jane Freilicher and Thomas Nozkowski: True Fictions at the Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation.
Rethinking Kandinsky
"The problem with many of Kandinsky’s abstractions is that they don’t offer enough immediate visual information to “crack” his expressive code for color and form." —David Carrier
An LA Gallery’s Sexy Xmas Tradition
"The Lodge has a cheeky interpretation of Christmas cheer." —Jennifer Remenchik
BOOKS & FILM
This Be the Verse: Our Favorite Poetry Books 2021 (Mostly)
John Yau and Albert Mobilio select a few choice titles from the past year.
The New West Side Story Brings the Show’s Father Issues to the Fore
Kyle Turner on Steven Spielberg's new cinematic adaptation of the classic show.
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