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Monday Links: Donald Trump is a Terrible Artist

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on July 31, 2017

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Donald Trump, who has the drawing ability of a seven year old, produced a drawing of the New York City Skyline that sold for close to $30,000. It was originally made for a charity event in 2005. The drawing is without a doubt the worst presidential drawing we’ve ever seen, and possibly the worst drawing by an adult. And that’s an evaluation that comes completely independent of his incompetence as a president. The line drawing doesn’t reach the edges of the page, doesn’t indicate that Trump has any awareness of what Manhattan even looks like, and includes two swooshy lines at the bottom that maybe indicate water or are perhaps just needless flourishes. It appears Trump signed the piece in gold marker and of course the only recognizable building on the skyline is Trump Tower. [artnet News]

Rhizome is offering 4-6 “microgrants” for web-based artworks, ranging from $500-$1,500. Applications are due August 14th. [Rhizome]

Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield has come up with a reinvention plan that includes raising 60 million dollars to help it refocus its mission to include science and history as well as art. The details of this plan, however, are making The American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Art Museum Directors—of which it is a member— very uncomfortable.The Berkshire wants to deaccession works to fund this new mission. This breaks with the association’s code of ethics, which dictates that Museums not deaccession works unless the funds are used for acquisition and direct care of the collection. Seems unlikely the museum will be able to remain a member of the association if it continues along this path. [NPR]

Non-art neon is making a big comeback in New York, from signs to restaurant interiors. [Eater]

Brace yourselves, New York, Miley Cyrus wants to return to the Big Apple to have another art exhibition. [Just Jared]

Why are auction prices so high for Mark Grotjahn works? An abstract painting by the 49 year old fetched $16.9 million at Christie’s and his primary market works can sell for $20 million. In a profile in the NYT, it’s revealed that Grotjahn has a rare amount of control over his career, working in with multiple galleries in multiple cities, often bypassing dealers completely, and having the final say over who his works sell to. This power shows up in the piece, as pretty much every quote comes off as an entry in a competition to offer the most ass-kissy complement to the artist. Notably Grotjahn didn’t respond to requests for comment. We weren’t asked, but we’re a bit confused about how even the best business management could push the value of these patterned paintings up so high. It’s not that they’re bad—but only a few feel truly distinctive. [The New York Times]

Danielle Directo-Meston considers the gentrification issue in her family’s house hunt. Not a lot of new information here, but it has plenty of Los Angeles-specific details and conversations about strategies for preventing displacement. Possible suggested legislation includes a ban on house flipping within a year and another that incentivizes owners to live in their properties for ten years. [Curbed]

Into the Unknown is a science fiction show at the Barbican Centre in London that should get the sci-fi nerd in us pretty excited. There are 800 works, going all the way back to the 19th century, and Hyperallergic has a review and photos to show off the exhibition. The review, though, doesn’t seem very excited about any of it. It’s a flat description, that complains that Octavia Butler and other African American artists didn’t get their due, but it’s still a significant show regardless because who else is doing this? I say, give us a few more photos and let us decide. [Hyperallergic]

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Friday Links: Everyone Has Money Problems

by Paddy Johnson on July 28, 2017

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Probably the most salacious news broke late yesterday and has nothing to do with art. Trump’s new Director of Communications, Anthony Scaramucci, called up the New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza, talked about killing leakers, firing his entire department to get the leakers, and described Steve Bannon, the White House’s Chief Strategist, as a cock sucker. The New Yorker reached out to Bannon for comment but received none. [The New Yorker]
Healthcare lives to see another day thanks to three Republicans who voted no and 49 Democrats, making the vote 51-49. The Republican representatives are: Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Thank you. Again, nothing to do with art, except for how thousands of artists depend on it. [The Internet]
Oof. Over in Toronto, 401 Richmond Street, a long time location for artist-run centers, festivals, theatre companies, supportive arts institutions, artist studios, etc learned they’d be getting an enormous tax increase. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which calculates commercial property taxes, decided that 401, which enjoys subsidized rent because they do not bring in a lot of money, should pay the same tax rate as everyone else on that block. Bad news for the art community. [Canadian Art]
Jerry Saltz gives MoMA’s redesign a resigned thumbs up after getting a tour with the architect Liz Diller, a partner in Diller Scofido + Renfro. Diller talked about trying to solve problems of flow with Saltz, which he appreciated. Ultimately, he thinks Lowry is the problem, not the architects. [New York Magazine]
The Artist Pension Trust is having troubles. The business pools work by thousands of artists to provide them future financial security, and recently announced it would begin charging for storage. Many artists involved are not happy about this. [artnet News]
Governor Andrew Cuomo floats the idea of selling naming rights to subway stations as a way of earning additional cash. It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to me, though it may increase the disparity between “rich” stations and “poor” stations if they aren’t smart about how they sell the product. [Curbed]
For those who missed Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel at the WTC Oculus, I’ve got good news—Gothamist has great pics. [Gothamist]

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Thursday Links: Let’s Talk About Butter Sculptures

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on July 27, 2017

Photographer Paul Raftery has documented the bizarre architecture of Kazakhstan’s post-Soviet capital Astana. The city looks like a weird low budget sci-fi show’s CGI landscapes brought to life. [Dezeen]
BienalSur, a new biennial organized by the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero of Argentina, launches this Fall with 379 projects scattered across different continents. This biennial format is sort of uncharted waters—Buenos Aires is the hub, but the focus is on South America in general, and projects will take place as far away as Paris and Tokyo. [The Art Newspaper]
The American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Art Museum Directors have both come out against the Berkshire Museum’s plan to sell 40 artworks to line its endowment and renovate its building. “One of the most fundamental and longstanding principles of the museum field is that a collection is held in the public trust and must not be treated as a disposable financial asset.” [The New York Times]
Ralph Steadman and Ceri Levy got a profile of their collaborations over at VICE. They make cheesy activist drawings of endangered animals, which are relevant because Steadman used to collaborate with Hunter S. Thompson, a well-known journalist and founder of the Gonzo journalism movement. (Thompson’s significance is never explained.) Anyway the drawings look exactly as you’d imagine—contrived splatter, extreme poses, compositions that all sit in the middle of the page. They’re no Walton Ford, that’s for sure. But the author seems to believe that if Steadman played into artist stereotypes more, and was “weirder, hermetic, less astonishingly prolific, and more pretentiously grandiose”, he’d be recognized as one of the truly great artists of our time. Sure. [VICE]
Why is today such a slow art news day? (Yes, we saw the Dana Schutz controversy. Lay off her, already.) I literally just found myself reading this blurb about butter sculptures at the Ohio State Fair, fascinated: “The American Dairy Association Mideast says the sculpture unveiled Tuesday salutes chocolate milk as the official drink of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. It’s the first time the butter sculpture has included color. Cocoa was added for the bottle.” [Seattle Times]
Thank fucking God. The MTA board has pushed back against the authority’s ambitious new rescue plan that would include more fare hikes. The authority’s chief financial officer, Robert E. Foran, pushed for those hikes, but the board thinks the money needs to come from other sources. Andrew Cuomo, the state governor has promised half the funds for the rescue plan, but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has resisted giving the authority the rest. The mayor needs to man up. [The New York Times]
TRIXI studios has used new ARKit software to develop an augmented reality version of A-Ha’s “Take on Me” video. Is this the future of music videos? [The Verge]

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NSFW GIF of the Day: Dick Riding a Bike

by Michael Anthony Farley on July 26, 2017

This is a GIF of a guy in a dick costume riding a bicycle. I’m not sure there’s much to say about this beyond the fact that the dick is pedalling with its scrotum. Cue the “Cremaster Cycle” jokes.

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Wednesday Links: Transphobia, The 00s, Chewbacca Mom Make Comebacks

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on July 26, 2017

Image of the day: France is burning. By Valery Hache/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images [h/t The New York Times]

The latest news from the surreal hellscape that is our nation’s government is that Trump is banning transgender people from the military. Doesn’t it seem like the right wing always comes up with a culture wars bone to pick when their political/economic agenda (Russia investigation, healthcare repeal, etc…) is under siege? At any rate, this is terrible, but if laughing is therapeutic for you, watch this Samantha Bee bit in which she provides commentary to rambling speeches made by potentially drunk Republican congressmen about trans people in the military. How is our country this insane? [Facebook]
Pussy Riot and Les Enfants Terribles are fundraising for “an immersive theater project” in which the audience would get to experience the Pussy Riot ordeal. That includes everything from their infamous performance in a Russian church to their crazy trial and time in a labor camp. Sounds fun? [Kickstarter]
Here’s a new, pretty comprehensive list of grants and loans for artists and entrepreneurs. Lots of funding sources on here we’ve never heard of. [Insight Personal Finance]
Remember “Chewbacca Mom”? The Texas woman who rose to brief, unlikely fame because she laughed so hard wearing a Chewbacca mask in a parking lot on Facebook Live? Writer Alyssa Bereznak does, as she’s been following Candace Payne via Google alerts for the past year. Here she has a timeline of the viral sensation’s rise and fall in public favor. It’s fascinating. The internet is a weird (and judgemental) place. [The Ringer]
Phew. After much outrage (including plenty of cute tributes from artists included in this link) Microsoft announced that MS Paint would NOT be disappearing, but will be available for download from their app store. [artnet News]
Rumors have been flying that beloved Baltimore dive bar The Club Charles will be closing, starting August 1st, indefinitely. Some say it will reopen following renovations, but there are few details here. The 66 year old institution is basically like the evening office of the city’s art/theater/literati scene. It’s John Waters’ favorite bar, among countless other filmmakers, musicians, artists, and drunks. I (Michael) will be devastated if this is a permanent closure. [City Paper]
The Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan 1994 Museum will partner with @popculturediedin2009—an archive dedicated to the drama of the aughts—to mine the decade’s pop-culture. I’m not sure what to think of this. On the one hand, these scandals may already be a source of nostalgia, and therefore hold some enjoyment. On the other, is it not too soon for this? I keep thinking there’s got to be a better use of intellectual engagement than this—particularly given our current political climate. [artnet News]
Karen Loew makes the case for the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, and looks at what other cities are doing to stop the spread of chain stores, closure of neighborhood retail, and “high rent blight” that’s been hitting Manhattan so hard. Basically, New York is way behind on protecting legacy businesses. This is something every gallerist or artist with a studio (or really, anyone who enjoys bodega food) should be getting behind. [City Lab]
Related: The Zapatista-inspired Eastside Café (which functions as an art/activism/community space in East Los Angeles) managed to stand its ground against gentrification and buy their building from the landlord when developers came knocking. Amazing. [Remezcla]
2070 photographs by Annie Leibovitz were purchased by a wealthy patron in 2012 and donated to The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. That was a boon for Leibovitz who was struggling financially at the time. The problem is, while the donor purchased the work for 4.75 million, it’s valued at 20 million and the Canadian government doesn’t want to sign off on the deduction. The panel tasked with approving the donation has accepted that only some of the photographs are art. Also, it seems the valuation of the portfolio is less than that of the individual works, thus creating the disparity of value. [The New York Times]
A score for Acquavella Gallery: Phillip de Montebello, former head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will join their staff as curator of special exhibitions. [The New York Times]
Applications close in four days for the free 360 Xochi Quetzal artist/writer residency on Lake Chapala, Mexico. This place looks beautiful. [360 Xochi Quetzal]

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Tuesday Links: Hélio Oiticica and Peter Schjeldahl Vie for Unpronounceable Name Supremacy

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on July 25, 2017

Following up on our Shark Week coverage, the Discovery Channel aired their “race” of 500 time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps swimming against a Great White Shark, and people are pissed. Obviously, they weren’t going to put Phelps in the water with a shark, but I at least thought there would be a shark. Nope. Basically, they had Phelps wear a fin to give the swimmer the same advantage the fish had, filmed him swimming alone, and then paired him with a computer animation. Lame. There were at least some good memes to come out of this whole thing though. Whomever the intern is that made this image—hire them. [The New York Times]
Hate read: a guide to New York City’s largest mega mansions. There are typically created by rich people buying two to three buildings, kicking everyone else out, and combining them into one home so oversized it’s hard to imagine most of the space being used. The list of owners living/creating mega mansions includes Michael Bloomberg, Madonna, Larry Gagosian, and Jeff Koons. [Curbed]
“I’m getting braver at saying the name of a sorely under-known Brazilian artist whose retrospective at the Whitney Museum, “Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium,” comes as an overdue revelation.” This is the first line of Peter Schjeldahl’s review in The New Yorker and we’re seeing grumblings on Twitter of how offensive this is. Get a grip. If you don’t know how to pronounce a name, or if it’s hard to pronounce properly for English people, it’s embarrassing. This is an admission that he’s working to learn, not that he’s revealing his implicit racism. If anyone has a right to poke fun at unpronounceable last names, it’s a guy named Schjeldahl. [Twitter, The New Yorker]
Artist Sarah Craske found a 300 year old edition of Ovid’s “Metamorphosis” at a junk shop. She’s since cultured centuries’ worth of readers’ bacteria from over the centuries for an artwork. [The Guardian]
Why is Condo being described as an art fair alternative? The event is an gallery-share model where galleries share their space with foreign dealers for the length of a show. Is launching exhibitions now secondary to participating in art fairs? [artnet News]
It turns out Alice Cooper has had a Warhol “Electric Chair” painting rolled up in a tube in storage for decades. The rocker totally forgot he had it. [The Guardian]
Microsoft is killing off its 32 year program beloved of artists, MS Paint. Well, there goes that genre of art making. [The Guardian]

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