April 29, 2022 • View in browser
Good morning. 🌤️ Today we inquire why medieval art lends itself so easily to memification? Our writers in Europe look behind the scenes of the Hermitage Amsterdam's breakup with Russia and the opening of Prague's first private museum. Here in the United States, House lawmakers pave the way for a National Asian Pacific American Museum, and Judy Garland's dress from The Wizard of Oz is up for auction.
Also, make sure you check out this week's Required Reading to learn how we might one day be able to travel through time.
— Hakim Bishara, interim editor-in-chief
What Makes Medieval Art So Meme-able?
All over Instagram, medieval imagery has been remixed, captioned, and somehow reads as peak hilarious, depending on your sense of humor. | Alicia Ever
SPONSORED
LATEST NEWS
The "People's Friendship Arch" will be colored with the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag (photo Jennifer Boyer via Flickr)
Ukraine tears down Kyiv’s massive 30-foot-tall “Soviet Friendship” monument and plans to rename 467 locations named after Russians.
The Hermitage Amsterdam severs its ties with Russia’s State Hermitage Museum.
A bill authorizing a commission to study the creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture heads to the Senate.
- Estimated to fetch up to $1.2 million, one of only four existing “Wizard of Oz” Dorothy dresses is heading to auction.
SPONSORED
Telling an Inclusive Story of American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
After expanding its collection with work made by a broadly representative group of American artists, SAAM will feature more than 130 of these recently acquired pieces in a new exhibition. Learn more.
ART & MORE
Prague’s First Private Museum Is Haunted by the Specter of Communism
Kunsthalle Praha is determined to walk the line between East and West, past and present. | Jonah Kay
Opening Up the Thingness of Painting
Dana Lok explores a range of perceptual conundrums in an impressive debut exhibition. | John Yau
SPONSORED
Pratt’s 2022 Fine Arts and Photography MFA Thesis Exhibition Is on View in Brooklyn
Through May 6, 32 graduating artists present work across disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, and integrated practices. Learn more.
A New Home for Experimental Cinema in Santa Fe
No Name Cinema defies mainstream rules and norms at every turn. | Samantha Anne Carillo
Required Reading
This week, Karl Marx was wrong about "primitive communism," Zoomers say they've had enough of TikTok, and great news: Time travel is within the realm of possibility. | Hakim Bishara
IN OUR STORE
"The Garden of Earthly Delights" Enamel Pin
Let art history guide your fashion choices this spring — celebrate the blooming season with this functional miniature triptych based on the iconic Hieronymous Bosch painting.
Check out more art-inspired pins!
Become a member today to support our independent journalism.
Your support helps keep our reporting and criticism free and accessible to all.
TRANSITIONS
Cara Courage will no longer serve as executive director at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
Lauren Haynes was named director of curatorial affairs at the Queens Museum.
Robert Steven was appointed director of the Portrait Gallery of Canada.
Jonathan M. Tisch was elected board chair at the Shed.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Catherine Blackburn; Laura Ortman; Rainer Posselt; Ilgavak, Peter Williams; Tania Willard, and Sara Siestreem were named Forge Project’s 2022 fellows
MOST POPULAR
Pompeii Heats Up With a New Exhibition of Erotic Art
Captivating Highlights From the 2022 Venice Biennale
See What Your Neighborhood Looked Like Millions of Years Ago
Art’s Conventional Signifiers Are No Longer Useful
The Toledo Museum of Art Is Deaccessioning Impressionist Works to Diversify Its Collection
