Victory for Claire Valdez
The artist and union organizer sweeps the NYC primary, and what makes an antiquities looter loot?
She did it! Artist, union organizer, and Congressional hopeful Claire Valdez won New York's 7th District Democratic primary by a landslide. She's poised to represent the city’s progressive “Commie Corridor” after November’s midterm election. Valdez, whom I interviewed earlier this month, is part of a slate of Mamdani-endorsed Democratic Socialist candidates who clinched impressive victories on Tuesday. They represent the true face of New York City.
Also today: What makes a looter loot? Art crime professor Erin L. Thompson speaks with Matthew Campbell, author of the new book The Man Who Stole the Gods, about the obsession that fueled the violent theft of Cambodia's cultural patrimony. Shows to see in Chicago this summer, a World Cup poster project, and more below.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
Inside the Mind of an Antiquities Looter
Matthew Campbell, a reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek, spent years digging into sources to write The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy. His book reads like a thriller while laying out the entwined histories of the Cambodian genocide and the rapacious hunger of Western collectors for the images of Hindu and Buddhist deities created by the sculptors of the Khmer Empire during the 9th to 15th centuries CE in what is now Cambodia.
As an art crime researcher, I’ve long followed Cambodia’s fight to reclaim its sacred heritage from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the museum’s determined resistance (including kicking out a Cambodian dancer trying to honor her gods.) After I tore through my advance copy of The Man Who Stole the Gods, Campbell agreed to an interview via Zoom. | Erin L. Thompson
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Pratt Manhattan Gallery Moves “Beyond Digital” in New Exhibition
Exhibition of Pratt Digital Arts alumni explores technology, ecology, and emerging forms of intelligence.
News
- Democratic Socialist Claire Valdez, an artist and New York State Assemblywoman, clinches the Democratic nomination to represent New York’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives in a landslide victory.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is bringing soccer fever to the Whitney Museum of American Art. Those who complete a poster art activity from artist Rich Tu — creating a poster inspired by the World Cup — will will get into the museum for free.
Queer Elders
Don’t Ask Lari Pittman What His Work Is “About”
The Colombian-American painter discusses his new body of work, the complexity of queerness, and the reprieve of the analog. | Matt Stromberg
Read MoreGuide
10 Art Shows to See in Chicago This Summer
Blessedly, despite the corn sweat, the city’s gallery and museum scene is eager to provide fresh work for the Midwestern mind.
Read MoreCommunity
Remembering Frayda Feldman, James Wagner, and Melodee Strong
This week, we honor an Andy Warhol print expert, a tireless art collector, and a beloved Minneapolis muralist.
Read MoreThe Bennett Prize – 2026/2027 Award Cycle
For women figurative realist painters. The grand prize winner receives $75,000 and a solo exhibition. The first runner-up receives $10,000. A five-person jury will select 10 finalists to be featured in a group exhibition that will travel the US. The application fee is $50. Read more on Hyperallergic. Deadline: September 19, 2026 | thebennettprize.org
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
ICYMI
Claire Valdez Wants to Be Your Artist in Congress
The New York State assemblywoman, who is running for a seat in the House of Representatives, spoke with Hyperallergic about her life as a painter, political origin story, and big plans for Washington. | Hakim Bishara
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