The Year in Memes
Also, a $117 Picasso, Coreen Simpson's monograph, and Jeff Wall's disorienting photography.
Good morning! I can't believe we only have two more Fridays left in 2025 ... that is, until I remember what a year it's been. It feels like ages since we got memes of Katy Perry's brief stopover in space, the notorious Coldplay couple, or even the Signal chat notification heard 'round the world. Take a nostalgic trip through the chaos and humor of this year with Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar's list of the memes that defined 2025.
In the news, a Picasso painting could be yours for $117 as part of a raffle with proceeds going toward Alzheimer's research. (One can't help but recall the multi-million-dollar art sales of late that have not been donated to this or any other cause, but I digress!)
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From Our Critics
Jasmine Weber
Coreen Simpson: A Monograph, edited by Sarah Lewis, Leigh Raiford, and Deborah Willis (Aperture, 2025)
"Simpson’s predilection for beauty began as a child in Brooklyn, watching polished women and well-dressed dandies pass by her porch while her foster mother styled her hair. Later in life, her camera and jewelry became a means to show her community care and love."
Neil Price
Jeff Wall Photographs 1984–2023 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto
"In an era of endless (and mindless) scrolling, Wall's work invites us to slow down and look carefully and imaginatively, both challenging and expanding what we think about photographic truth."
Make NYC Your Classroom This Summer at Columbia School of the Arts!
Inviting artists, writers, filmmakers, and theatre students of all experience levels to learn and create on Columbia’s campus and across New York City. Open to all, Summer Programs invite you to experiment, create, and expand your practice — whether you’re building a portfolio for grad school or simply exploring a new skill.
Member Comment
Holly Wong on John Yau's "Judy Pfaff Is Light Years Ahead of the Curve"
Community
Catch up on the latest happenings in Art Movements, including Nnena Kalu's Turner Prize win, François-Xavier Lalanne's hippo-shaped bar that went to auction this week, and MacKenzie Scott's $20 million donation to the beloved Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
Our latest A View From the Easel is a special one: In North Carolina, an 83-year-old woodworker reflects on his studio of over five decades, while a Kansas City-based artist describes the "magic" of dyeing with indigo — if you haven't tried that meditative process yet, make that your new year's resolution!
And tune into the discourse on the racist origins of "Jingle Bells," India's blossoming drag Houses, and "airport-lounge wars" that rub salt in the wound that is holiday travel in Required Reading.
Taxes for Humans: A Radical Reimagining of Financial Empowerment
For artists, freelancers, and the self-employed, tax season can feel like a looming cloud. A new book by artist-turned-tax-specialist Hannah Cole offers an antidote.
ICYMI
Lisa Yuskavage’s White Hot Women
Often considered provocative, her nude women embody a patriarchal status quo of feminine desirability, and the privileges that come with it. | Natalie Haddad
From the Archive
A Photographer Captures Christmas Kitsch Across the US
With American Christmas, Danelle Manthey presents elaborate decorative traditions as a form of folk art. | Sarah Rose Sharp
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Keep an eye out for more Best of 2025 lists soon, and have a lovely Friday!
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
