Hrag Vartanian is editor-at-large, founding editor, and co-founder of Hyperallergic.
Art
There has been so much talk about Blu's commissioned mural but few people are talking about the work itself and what it could mean. As a critic who has been looking at a great deal of street art for years, I want to weigh in on the topic. Some art critics have been dismissive of the work and thought
Opinion
The Bygone Bureau's Jimmy Chen imagines what it would be like if Picasso had used eBay [http://bygonebureau.com/2010/12/15/picassos-ebay-period/]. Hilarity ensues. Great line, "bitch i’m trying to make a living. check out my new painting."
Opinion
Now the man who gave us Hope and then made us Hope-less is weighing in on the Blu mural controversy [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/12/shepard-fairey-weighs-in-on-mocas-mural-controversy.html] and it's rather embarrassing. The good part …
News
Just when you thought this story may be dead, Italian street artist Blu, whose mural was whitewashed by MOCA [http://hyperallergic.com/14367/mural-whitewashed-la-moca/] last week, has shot back at Jeffrey Deitch's brush-this-all-under-the-rug mentality [http://hyperallergic.com/14672/deitch-explain-
News
You know we work hard at Hyperallergic to bring you the most interesting news, reviews, and opinions about art but we also need some support once in a while, and today is one of those days. Contrary to popular belief, ads and sponsorships do not pay for everything here at Hyperallergic, and most of
Opinion
MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch has finally broken his silence and spoken to the Los Angeles Times over the recent whitewashing of the Blu wall commissioned for the upcoming Art in the Streets exhibition, which will be the first major US museum show featuring street art.
Opinion
Some of us have been thinking the [http://twitter.com/hragv/status/13681350116638721] same thing [http://community.nytimes.com/comments/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/los-angeles-museum-of-contemporary-art-deems-mural-inappropriate/?permid=3#comment3]. Since the art world depends on tight-lip
Art
On Friday, Art in General opened two newly commissioned works by Ohan Meromi and Brendan Fernandes. The former is an evolving "rehearsal"/performance, while the other delves into the origins of African sculpture using some effective audio and fantastic neon signs.
Opinion
Word is that the Warhol Museum is releasing a new Warhol app (iPhone only for way) that allows users to transform photos into silkscreens that create their own versions of art that resemble the Pop master. But you don't have to wait for the official version since there are many unofficial ones alrea
Art
I'm kicking myself for not getting to painter Margrit Lewczuk's vibrant show in the heart of Williamsburg sooner. I stepped into the fantastic show on its second to last day. Located on a stretch of Metropolitan that is quickly being transformed by new developments, the show is in a low-rise warehou
![MOCA's Delayed Response to Blu Mural Removal [UPDATE 2]](/content/images/size/w600/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2010/12/blu_moca_update_home.jpg)
Opinion
MOCA has emailed their version of why the Blu mural came down to Vandalog, the street art blog. We discover that Deitch was involved in the removal of the mural but some questions remain …
Opinion
John Richardson, the art historian who has written (and is still writing) the definitive Picasso biography, has published his thought on Vanity Fair's website on the recently discovered Picassos in the possession of Pierre Le Guennec, Picasso's electrician. He writes, "Picasso would never, in my opi