Category: visual

“She has done more to expand the video medium than any artist since the Korean-born visionary Nam June Paik. Rist once wrote that she wanted her video work to be like women’s handbags, with ‘room in them for everything: painting, technology, language, music, lousy flowing pictures, poetry, commotion, premonitions of death, sex, and friendliness.’ If Paik is the founding father of video as an art form, Rist is the disciple who has done the most to bring it into the mainstream of contemporary art.” – The New Yorker

“A New York startup [called Masterworks] that allows investors to buy a tiny stake in paintings by world-class artists for just $20 has seen a surge in demand during the pandemic, according to its founder, and has bought 15 artworks since the onset of Covid-19 to feed their appetite. A recent $1.52 million initial public offering of a piece by the American graffiti artist KAWS sold out in a few hours.” – Bloomberg

Trump fancied several of the pieces in the U.S. ambassador’s historic residence in Paris, where he was staying, and on a whim had them removed and loaded onto Air Force One, according to people familiar with the matter. The works — a portrait, a bust, and a set of silver figurines — were brought back to the White House. – Bloomberg

With an average enrollment of 125 students, Hunter’s art department is one of the largest in the US. The college assistants are usually given one-year contracts, with benefits, and they are responsible for maintaining and running the department’s facilities, equipment, and supplies, in addition to overseeing the use of studio spaces, tools, and training students. – The Art Newspaper

“[Gail] Harrity, 70, who joined the museum in 1997 as chief operating officer and was named president in 2009” — that is, second-in-command after the museum’s director — “has been on top of virtually every building project of note at the museum for the last 15 years. And there have been plenty.” However, “museum officials said Harrity’s departure was unrelated to the turmoil that has afflicted the institution this year.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Team names and locations were not attached to the submissions when a panel of six professionals … judged them, so it was with surprise and delight that the jury discovered it had selected a design from a small, L.A.-based collective called Project Room.” – Los Angeles Times

Thanks, COVID: following similar decisions for Art Basel Hong Kong and the flagship fair in Switzerland, 2020 becomes the first year in decades without a single live Art Basel event. – ARTnews

The 2nd Bangkok Art Biennale won’t be exactly what it was at its debut in 2018: there will be nine venues instead of 20, and organizers are having to look more to local audiences than to overseas visitors. But the event is happening, starting October 12, and there are some big names involved. – The Art Newspaper

All three are collaborating or consulting on major projects in China with development firms owned by the state. They say that sharing their collections and expertise in this way “can help to foster tolerance and curiosity” (Pompidou); “generates greater understanding between global cultures and communities” (V&A), and helps “increase Chinese people’s access to the possibilities of international art” (Tate). – The Art Newspaper

Way back on August 9, “Margarita” tweeted side-by-side images of van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night and a rendition of the same scene in Arles by contemporary painter Haixia Liu (not to be confused with Thomas Kinkade); she appended the message “Should expose how overrated Van Gogh is.” It took until this past weekend, but the Twitterverse did notice, and it … reacted. – ARTnews