Magritte, Constable, Trump's Smithsonian Wrath

If you're wondering what we did this week at Hyperallergic, here's an abridged run-down. Critic Michael Glover reviewed a show on Elizabeth I that spoke truth to royal power; Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar decoded the Surrealist references of a World Cup soccer jersey; and Staff Writer Isa Farfan reported on Trump's unhinged new memo against the Smithsonian, calling it what it is: "draconian.” Sofia Thiệu D’Amico profiled painter Akira Ikezoe, whose work seems to be everywhere these days; Nayyar interviewed Justin Gignac, the artist who successfully sold the trash outside Taylor Swift’s wedding. 

Also this week, one of our beloved contributors, Noah Fischer, received a coveted award from the Society of Professional Journalists for his comic about housing and displacement, co-published with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

—Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor

News

• The pink-and-blue away jerseys of the Belgian men’s national soccer team feature one of Magritte’s lesser-known motifs, along with the phrase “This is not a jersey” in an homage to the artist.
• More than a year after President Trump ordered his administration to investigate so-called “race-centered ideology” at the Smithsonian Institution, the White House has published a new report accusing museum leadership of promoting “extreme political activism.”
• A jewel heist took place early on July 5 at a museum in France. The band of thieves smashed several display cases on the gallery floors and made off with 27 pieces of fine jewelry worth approximately €4 million (~$4.5 million).
• Officials in Austin destroyed a prominent street artwork displaying the message “Black Artists Matter” last week following an order from Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
• Messages condemning Israel’s violence in Gaza appeared over the advertising screens outside the Whitney Museum of American Art last week in an action by New York City-based artist Jonathan Allen.
• Cultural workers affiliated with the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) plan to protest during United States Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta’s scheduled visit to Venice on Friday, July 17.  
• Following Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden last week, artist Justin Gignac collected street trash found outside the venue and is selling them in pocket-sized vitrine boxes as souvenirs.
• Eight years after Aljira abruptly closed, the Newark Museum of Art will present a group exhibition tracing the artist-led space’s 35-year history of showcasing works by underrepresented artists and nurturing the careers of major, globally recognized figures.
• Art Movements: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts awards $5.1 million to 78 arts organizations, Raphael breaks records at The Met, the Honolulu Museum of Art gets a new director, and more.
• After a 10-month search, the New Museum in Manhattan announced today that its artistic director of 12 years, Massimiliano Gioni, has been appointed as its next director. 
• A Chicago-based photographer is suing artist Mickalene Thomas for alleged copyright infringement, claiming that Thomas “appropriated more than a dozen” of her images without her consent or proper attribution. 

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