News
Trump Will Likely Refuse to Unveil Obama’s Official Presidential Portrait
Trump will be breaking a four decades-long White House tradition, fueling years of dispute between him and former President Barack Obama.
Hakim Bishara
Hakim Bishara is Hyperallergic's Editor-in-Chief. He is a recipient of the 2019 Andy Warhol Foundation and Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant, and he holds an MFA in Art Writing from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
In Brief
A Son Gifted His Mother a Raffle Ticket, Winning Her a $1.1M Picasso Painting
The raffle for Pablo Picasso’s “Nature Morte” (1921) raised over $5.59 million, most of which will be used to provide clean drinking water and renovate facilities in Cameroon, Madagascar, and Morocco.
News
13% of Museums Worldwide May Close Permanently Due to COVID-19, Studies Say
Released jointly, two studies by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) also say that nearly 90% of the world’s 95,000 museums have temporarily closed during the pandemic.
News
Metropolitan Museum Will Not Reopen Until Mid-August or Later
The Met, which is known as a bellwether for decision-making in the museum world, has also canceled all tours, talks, concerts, and events through 2020.
In Brief
Please Stop Breathing on Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”
Scientists say "The Scream" is fading due to human breath. With museums around the world closed, the painting is getting some much needed social distance.
News
352 Artists Urge World Governments to Impose Arms Embargo on Israel
Ariella Azoulay, Shepard Fairey, Antony Gormley, and Tai Shani are among the growing number of artists, filmmakers, musicians, and writers calling for international pressure to impose an embargo and lift the siege of Gaza.
News
In IRS Complaint, Attorney Accuses Whitney Museum of “Smear Campaign” Against Warren Kanders
Neal Sher accuses the Whitney’s leadership of being complicit in “unlawful conduct, harassment, threats and intimidation” against Kanders. He was disbarred by the District of Columbia in 2003 but practices in New York after a period of disciplinary suspension.
News
Philadelphia Mayor Proposes Arts Budget of Zero, a Crushing Blow to Local Institutions
As statewide cultural grants are rescinded, Mayor Jim Kenny introduces a 2021 budget proposal that totally eliminates the city’s $4.4 million allowance for the arts.
In Brief
China Taunts US Response to COVID-19 With Absurdly Comical Lego Animation
A Chinese news agency released a propagandistic cartoon to herald its success at combating the coronavirus — that is admittedly entertaining.
News
Journalist Arrested in Manhattan for Writing “Trump=Plague” in Chalk
“I frankly feel, as an African American woman and a person of color, that it’s open season on us in every way,” says Jill Nelson, a 67-year-old writer who was kept in a cell for more than five hours.
News
Petition Calls for Removal of New York Academy of Art Board Chair, Citing Jeffrey Epstein Ties
The petition calls on the academy to “immediately remove” Eileen Guggenheim from her post as chair of the school’s board of trustees, noting allegations made by Maria Farmer, one of Epstein’s alleged victims.
News
A Digital Archive of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, From Graffiti to Music
The rich online resource, spearheaded by researcher Nicola Pratt, reveals how culture was “an outlet” for political views during the revolution and its aftermath.