- Everyone is still freaking out over the Shakespearean Season 3 finale of Succession. For Vulture, Roxana Hadadi ranks how “fucked” the Roys and their cohorts are:
This episode had everything: the potential of a new Roy heir, the emergence of a new No. 1 boy, the suggestion of more Alexander Skarsgård in future episodes, and Logan blowing up the promise of nepotism. My man refers to Kendall and Shiv as “Jacobins,” but sir, you were the one who just set fire to the concept of inherited wealth and power! Seems a little bit left to me!
- Everyone is also comparing the finale to Renaissance and Baroque paintings. (Check out Hyperallergic’s analysis of the background art featured on the show since the first season, and what it represents.)
- Writer Lauren Collins spent a Friendsgiving with infamous home cook and foodie influencer Alison Roman. Her New Yorker profile on the polarizing chef is delicious:
At one point during the Thanksgiving shoot, she pulled me aside to express her anxieties. “I have this façade that everything’s O.K., but sometimes I feel like if you blow on it, it’ll all fall down,” she said. “I just have to accept the fact that, regardless of what I said, there would still be people who would be, like, ‘You’re an ignorant white lady.’” At another point, she added, “I still have not seen a successful story of a woman getting dragged to hell in the way that I was and then coming back publicly and being able to talk. It’s like you either have to slink away into oblivion or just pretend it never happened.”
- The Washington Post revealed the real-life repercussions of the debunked Wayfair trafficking conspiracy:
There were thousands of tweets making similar accusations about cabinets Wayfair was selling. The claims were on Facebook, too. And on Reddit, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Within 72 hours, the company was trending, with an estimated 1.2 million tweets about Wayfair and trafficking.
In the days to come, every aspect of these claims would be found to be false.
Human trafficking investigators at the Department of Homeland Security, who had to pause active investigations to sort out what was happening with Wayfair, would find no evidence to support any of the allegations. Wayfair’s staff, bombarded with threats, would realize how the pricing anomalies were happening. Anti-trafficking organizations, inundated with callers, would beg the public to stop sharing bogus stories that made their work harder.
- Doja Cat stans, rise up. The mega-talented, often-goofy singer and rapper got the profile treatment in Rolling Stone, and it’s an excellent read that doesn’t shy away from past controversies. (The accompanying photo spread is absolutely ethereal.):
Many in Doja’s orbit say her inability to censor herself is one of the many things that makes her eminently relatable. “She’ll just say crazy stuff,” says Noka. “If anyone wants to talk trash on that they can. But I’m sure in the dark they admire that.” When I ask Doja’s manager Dillard about her getting in trouble on social media, he frames it as road bumps on the path to superstardom: “When you’re dealing with a real artist, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone says things. I would be lying to you if I said there wasn’t nervousness [about her being online]. But Doja’s growing into an adult. She’s maturing. She’s a human being. And I can never be mad at her for being herself. She is who she is.”
- The Instagram account Diet Prada raised red flags about Jeremy Scott’s face corsets for Moschino, which look nearly identical to those by London artist Paddy Hartley:
- A New York Times feature on Metro Pictures, the iconic, now-closed New York gallery, has been making the rounds. It’s honest and insightful in its discussion of the Pictures generation and the reality of founding a gallery in the 1980s:
I remember the huge effort we put in making sure they were seen as artists, not just photographers. We presented their work to collectors as being on a par with paintings. When MoMA bought that complete edition of Cindy’s “Untitled Film Stills,” we made sure it was a joint purchase between the photo department and the painting and sculpture department.
- Since December 15, Twitter has been flooded with beautiful tributes to the beloved thinker bell hooks, who has died:
- As most of you know, COVID-19 is once again ripping through New York. No matter where you live, be sure to stay safe, wear a mask, and get tested (and boosted)!
Required Reading is published every Thursday afternoon, and it is comprised of a short list of art-related links to long-form articles, videos, blog posts, or photo essays worth a second look.
