Posted inOpinion

Damien Hirst Leading Spin Class at Davos

The personal foundation of Damien Hirst’s friend and hunting buddy, Victor Pinchuk, is inviting the Davos elite to produce a spin painting with the formaldehyde man himself using the artist’s spin painting machines and, according to the Pinchuk Foundation press release, “specially delivered to Davos for this occasion.” OMFG, what a treat! Though you’re really going to love the quote he provided.

Posted inNews

What’s Up With UK Arts Funding Cuts?

Arts Council England, a group within the English governmental Department of Art, Media and Sport, is an organization entirely devoted to funding the arts, performing, visual and literary. In total, the council currently funds 880 arts organizations and events. In September, “Britain’s coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats proposed a budget that could cut arts spending by as much as 25 percent,” reports the New York Times, a move that would help reduce the country’s budget deficit.

It’s still not clear where the budget cuts will lead, but it’s clear that artists and art organizations are speaking up against the disastrous impact the cuts could have.

Posted inOpinion

ArtReview’s 2010 Power 100 in Graphs

ArtReview released its annual Power 100 yesterday, a document that makes a spirited attempt at putting the art world into numbers.

The list held a few surprises, but really, what was most un-surprising about the whole affair was how lame and mainstream it was while frontin’ a snarky facade, insider-style. Because really, no one in the art world knew that Gogo had a lot of pull … right?

Here are a few graphs that try to clarify the bullshit and get at what the Power 100 really means.

Posted inArt

Artists Go Hollywood: The Movie Posters

The impressive performance of Ed Harris in Pollock is the first thing that pops into my head when I think about the intersection of fine art and film. However, there are many more examples of Hollywood getting all creative and artsy … And so I say to Hollywood: Enough. Let’s branch out, diversify, and push our art flicks into some exciting new genres …

Posted inArt

Spencer Tunick, Terence Koh, Francesco Vezzoli…Does Lady Gaga Need An Art Teacher?

The age of celebrity art has dawned and no one is a better example of that high-end marriage between the haves and the haves than pop singer Lady Gaga. It has been a long time coming for the maven of the dancefloor, whose every move feels like a tribute to 1990s club kid culture. Yet, her recent collaborations with Francesco Vezzoli and Terence Koh raises the question, does she desperately need an art teacher?