> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Year in Memes - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/the-year-in-memes-2025/ - Published: 2025-12-12T11:00:02.000Z - Updated: 2025-12-12T11:00:02.000Z - Description: Also, a $117 Picasso, Coreen Simpson's monograph, and Jeff Wall's disorienting photography. - Author: Hyperallergic - Tags: Daily Newsletter, Newsletter 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**](https://hyperallergic.com/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**](https://hyperallergic.com/this-picasso-could-be-yours-for-just-117/). (One can't help but recall the [multi-million-dollar art sales of late](https://hyperallergic.com/everything-is-not-fine-in-the-art-world/) that have *not* been donated to this or any other cause, but I digress!) SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/mma_brand_DP292101--1--1.jpeg)](https://engage.metmuseum.org/support/fund-for-the-met?promocode=62278&utm%5Fsource=Hyperallergic-AKANYC&utm%5Fmedium=&utm%5Fcampaign=MetMuseum%5FCNV-FULL%5F2025%5FFY26&utm%5Fcontent=&utm%5Fterm=) ****Make a Lasting Impact. Support the Fund for The Met Today!** The Fund for The Met provides unrestricted support for the Museum, making everything at The Metropolitan Museum of Art possible. From daily operations to conservation efforts and everything in between, these critical funds go where they’re needed most and ensure The Met continues to thrive for generations to come. [Donate now ](https://engage.metmuseum.org/support/fund-for-the-met?promocode=62278&utm%5Fsource=Hyperallergic-AKANYC&utm%5Fmedium=&utm%5Fcampaign=MetMuseum%5FCNV-FULL%5F2025%5FFY26&utm%5Fcontent=&utm%5Fterm=) ## From Our Critics [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/coreen-s.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/coreen-simpsons-timeless-ode-to-black-beauty/) Coreen Simpson, "Jamien" (1982) from the series **B-Boys* (image courtesy the artist) ### 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." [***Read the full review***](https://hyperallergic.com/coreen-simpsons-timeless-ode-to-black-beauty/) ## 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." [***Read the full review***](https://hyperallergic.com/jeff-wall-post-truth-photography/) SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/Hyperallergic.jpg)](https://arts.columbia.edu/summer?utm%5Fsource=hyperallergic&utm%5Fmedium=email+ad&utm%5Fcampaign=SUM26) ****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. [Learn more ](https://arts.columbia.edu/summer?utm%5Fsource=hyperallergic&utm%5Fmedium=email+ad&utm%5Fcampaign=SUM26) ## Member Comment Holly Wong on John Yau's "[Judy Pfaff Is Light Years Ahead of the Curve](https://hyperallergic.com/judy-pfaff-is-light-years-ahead-of-the-curve/)" Thank you for this wonderful review of her work. She has always represented everything that I believe is timeless and valuable about trying to be an artist and doing the work every day. You are so right that her independence and her refusal to give in to trends or commercialism makes her a one-person movement! The work functions on that high level of integrity that feels so rare now. I especially love the neon developments in her work! I really hope an institution gives her the recognition due...it's way beyond time now. --- ## Community [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/hippo.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/art-movements-big-museum-news/) François-Xavier Lalanne’s "Hippopotame Bar, pièce unique" (1976) (photo courtesy Sotheby's) Catch up on the latest happenings in [**Art Movements**](https://hyperallergic.com/art-movements-big-museum-news/), 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**](https://hyperallergic.com/a-view-from-the-easel-139/) 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**](https://hyperallergic.com/required-reading-762/). SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/JKM-Cole-251124a-4.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/taxes-for-humans-hannah-cole/) ****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. [Learn more ](https://hyperallergic.com/taxes-for-humans-hannah-cole/) ## ICYMI [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/Lisa-Yuskav-1.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/lisa-yuskavages-white-hot-women/) Lisa Yuskavage, "Iridescent Studio" (2025), pastel and ink (photo Natalie Haddad/**Hyperallergic*) [**Lisa Yuskavage’s White Hot Women**](https://hyperallergic.com/lisa-yuskavages-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 [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2025/12/xmas.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/american-christmas-danelle-manthey/) Danelle Manthey, "It's More than the Lights," with Karen Vaught in Broomfield, CO (image courtesy the artist) [**A Photographer Captures Christmas Kitsch Across the US**](https://hyperallergic.com/american-christmas-danelle-manthey/) With *American Christmas*, Danelle Manthey presents elaborate decorative traditions as a form of folk art. | Sarah Rose Sharp --- If you've enjoyed today's edition, please consider [joining us as a paid Hyperallergic Member](https://hyperallergic.com/membership/) to keep our independent art journalism going strong. Keep an eye out for more [**Best of 2025**](https://hyperallergic.com/tag/best-of-2025/) lists soon, and have a lovely Friday! —*Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor*