Lisbon

Good Wednesday morning readers, and good luck to the New Yorkers who are currently trekking to work through ice and slush puddles. This is serious stuff; Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency in New York. So for those of you who haven’t left the house yet, perhaps it’s better to be safe than sorry. Stay at home today and read the Internet. Here are some links to start your day.

• “How is this different than just a shopping mall with sculptures?” Architects, MoMA staffers, and people who go to MoMA wonder what the future will hold for a MoMA sculpture garden that’s free and open to the public. [The New York Times]
• The secret history of skim milk. [Slate]
• Donate a men’s coat, get free admission to the New Museum. Starting February 12th. [Gallerist NY]
• The French Revolution Digital Archive has released 14,000 high resolution images online this week. Our favorite of the lot we’ve seen so far may be the man riding a giant ostrich, but the guillotine etchings are pretty cool too. [Hyperallergic]
• Nicholas O’Brien on why it’s hard to exhibit video games in a museum. The 58 percent of Americans who play video games will understand why elegant exhibition display won’t help you jump into a game. [Rhizome]
• Christie’s Impressionist Modern sale in London, their highest value sale ever, raised $288.13 million. The drama here, though, wasn’t the price tag, but the last minute withdrawal of 85 works by Miro. The art had been acquired in 2006 by Banco Português de Negócios, a small Lisbon bank, but the Portuguese state had saved the bank from collapse in 2008. There had been strong opposition and legal action to prevent the sale in Portugal. [Baer Faxt]
• Toymaker Mattel reveals the real reason why Barbie dolls have such unrealistic proportions. The company claims skinny dolls are easier to dress and undress. Sureeeee. [The Guardian]
• New York City continues its fight to curtail the selling of art in public spaces. [Animal]