Art Basel Has Been Cancelled

The Swiss art fair held out for a long time. Then, on May 30, dealers sent a letter. “‘Art Basel is the most important and powerful art fair in the world but even in the best possible scenario, an edition held this year would be a mere shadow of its established stature and imperil its reputation,’ the letter said. Signed by more than 50 dealers, it concluded: ‘We believe that risks are simply too great and that regrettably 2020 is a lost year.'” – The New York Times

Poor Old Machiavelli Had ‘A Talent For Ending Up On The Losing Side’

His tenure as a senior administrator in the Florentine Republic saw many more failures than successes; he was bounced into prison and then exile after the Medici returned to power; when he finally got back into their favor, he was commissioned to write a great history of the city, only to see the family booted once again and die himself a couple of months later. “That hallmark of his work, Fortune, shined upon him only posthumously.” – History Today