Hrag Vartanian is editor of Hyperallergic. His work has appeared in the Art21 blog, Brooklyn Rail, NYFA's Current, Huffington Post, and Modern Painters. He serves on the board of the Triangle Arts Association and blogs regularly at HragV.com.
Our knowledge of art continues to expand by leaps and bounds. While we once believed that art was the exclusive domain of the more evolved Homo Sapiens Sapiens, which means us, the latest find, according to archaeological project leader José Luis Sanchidrián, suggests that the earliest known painting was created by Homo Neanderthalensis.
“‘ … anywhere from 50 to 60 percent of images that are sold into media these days are entertainment images,’ most of them taken by paparazzi.” [SpiegelOnline]
This week, Catherine Opie fatigue, Yayoi Kusama, David Shrigley, tall buildings and economic downturns, post-structuralism, LA architecture and color theory for kids.
This week, students at Denver University’s Environmental Law Clinic have taken action to block artist Christo’s massive “Over the River” project to be built almost entirely within the federally-protected Arkansas Canyonlands Area of Colorado.
Today we learn that the nation of Qatar, which is quietly building a very expensive collection of modern and contemporary art, acquired Paul Cézanne’s “The Card Players” for the tune of $250 million in 2011.
Yesterday, the Occupy Wall Street Arts & Culture Working Group, facilitated by the Space Team, began a 2-mo residency at Hyperallergic HQ in Williamsburg. The first activity will be a potluck event that takes place tomorrow, Friday, February 3.
According to Business Insider, “[Street] artist David Choe painted the inside of Facebook’s first headquarters back in 2005, and Mark Zuckerberg made him an offer: he could be paid a few thousand dollars in cash, or take the same amount in Facebook stock.” Choe took the stock and now it’s worth $200 million.
This week, our first February prescription has something for those whose masculinity ails them in the form of two shows at the Brooklyn Museum. But don’t forget it’s Black History month, so we also offer up a healthy dose of African and African-American identity. And finally, the Queens International Biennial, which opens this week, will give you a great booster shot of emerging art that should get you through the week.
Popular LA-based artist Mike Kelley has died of an apparent suicide. One of the most recognized names of the American contemporary art scene, Kelley is best known for his pop culture-infused sensibility that combined the abject with the everyday.
Tip #10: “Be prepared to hang onto the art you buy for some time. One of the major selling points for any work at auction is that it is fresh to the market. Buying today and selling tomorrow is out.” The full list is here.
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Statue Porn
Shit Art World People Say
Luckiest Artist in the World Set to Make $200M from Facebook Stock
Can Art Create World Change? 3 Artists at Davos
Artists Kickstarting Their Own Careers
Earliest Known Paintings Discovered in Spain
Alone Among The Living and the Dead
Mike Kelley Dead at 58, Apparent Suicide
Beach Boys, Artists and Copyright Lawsuits
