January 26, 2023
Good morning. ⛅ Seeing a photo of a work of art is one thing, but experiencing it in person is quite another. That's why we sent Jessica Shearer to ask Boston Common park-goers what they think of Hank Willis Thomas's new MLK monument. The results might may surprise you.
In other news, researchers find a rare lead compound in Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch,” Laura Poitras’s documentary about Nan Goldin gets nominated for an Oscar, and the Baltimore Museum of Art names a new director, veteran curator Asma Naeem.
Lastly, I recommend you read David Carrier's opinion article today, explaining why he turned down a lavish press trip to a forthcoming Andy Warhol exhibition in Saudi Arabia. He'll be missing out on free perks including a business class flight, a luxurious hotel stay, a helicopter tour over the desert, and more. I wonder: How many other arts journalists have resisted the temptation to take part in this art-washing campaign? We'll find out soon, I guess.
— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
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.
What Do Bostonians Think of the New MLK Monument?
Despite the deluge of online memes, reactions on the ground were mostly positive, but some think the work lacks context. | Jessica Shearer
SPONSORED
Hard Return: 9 Experiments for this Moment
Nine performance works transform the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, NY. Co-curated by artist Kate Gilmore and art historian Jonah Westerman. Learn more.
IN THE NEWS
Detail of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" (1642) (courtesy Rijksmuseum)
A rare lead compound found in Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” painting might point to past attempts at conserving it.
A Bronze Age sword labeled as a replica at the Field Museum in Chicago is proven to be an original, dating back 3,000 years.
The Baltimore Museum of Art has appointed Asma Naeem as its new director, becoming the first person of color to lead the institution.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Laura Poitras’s film about Nan Goldin's activism, is nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.
SPONSORED
Apply for Rent-Free Studio Space in Brooklyn Through the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program
The residency program awards 17 visual artists a year of rent-free studio space in New York City. Applications are due by January 31. Learn more.
LATEST REVIEWS
The Pueblo Artist Who Brings Kink to Traditional Craft
Gender play, kink, and futures that touch traditional lifeways are enduring features of Virgil Ortiz’s work. | KT Thompson
Seeing Ourselves in Greg Colson’s Quirky Pie Chart Paintings
The artist’s droll paintings present the pie chart as a useful monitor of a group’s behavior, while also revealing it to be exclusionary and superficial. | John Yau
MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC
Why I Won’t Be Visiting the Warhol Show in Saudi Arabia
I couldn’t in good conscience accept an invitation to an exhibition hosted and sponsored by a brutal regime. | David Carrier
In Praise of Complicated Friendships
Within this rich survey of 1990s ephemera is an homage to the modes of communication that forged community and identity prior to the internet. | Isabel Ling
IN MEMORIAM
Gregory Blackstock (1946–2023)
Seattle artist | Seattle Times
Balkrishna Doshi (1927–2023)
First Indian architect to win Pritzker Prize | CNN
Mira Lehr (1936–2023)
Self-described eco-feminist artist from Miami | Agencia EFE
David Sutherland (1933–2023)
Scottish cartoonist | Guardian
