by Paddy Johnson and Rhett Jones on June 28, 2016
- Phillips ran their 20th-Century and Contemporary Art auction yesterday with lackluster results. The sale totaled 11.9 million GBP, a 34.6 percent drop from last year. The sell-through rate was only 68 percent. Could the Brexit have contributed to the mood? Josh Baer seems to think the effect will be minimal with the market being global. But doesn’t globalism mean that we’re all connected so we’re more not less sensitive to shifts in the economies of others? [The Art Newspaper and Baer Faxt]
- Another day, another huge museum gift at work. The Philadelphia Museum is showcasing the collection of Keith and Katherine Sachs—a collection that, according to Newsworks, is expected to transform the museum into a powerhouse of contemporary art. [Newsworks]
- That universally mocked, live action Tetris movie trilogy really is happening. Its producer says that it has to be a trilogy because the story they are telling is just TOO BIG. He added, “We’re not going to have blocks with feet running around the movie. But it’s great that people think so. It sets the bar rather low!” [The Guardian]
- In the latest effort to teach kids the principles of coding from an early age, Google has made a set of electric toy blocks. When the blocks are snapped together they can create real computer programs like a musical instrument or a messaging app. They’re also pretty great to look at. [Wired]
- Wow, Jason Farago haaaates the inaugural selfie exhibition at the ICP’s new space on the Bowery. He complains that they set aside no space for their permanent collection of 150,000 photographs (the space isn’t large enough for that, though) and that the current show is little more than an aggregation of artworks, reproductions, considered pieces and throw-away snaps. “This is an exhibition that should have remained a Pinterest board”, Farago concludes. Ouch. [The Guardian]
- Hyperallergic’s Elyssa Goodman seems to get a lot more out of the exhibition but we’re a bit confused about the message. In one passage she discusses photographing herself in a mirror used to display Warhol Polaroids, purposefully obscuring her face with the Warhol so that “self-identification and public visibility” actually overlap. What does this mean? [Hyperallergic]
- A new investigation has concluded that Nazi-looted art was sold to high-ranking Nazis at a deflated price rather than being given to victims families. The art was originally recovered by the Monuments Men and was turned over to the Bavarian government on the condition of it being used as restitution. [artnet News]
- A 5000-year-old pay stub now in the possession of the British Museum shows that ancient workers were paid in beer. At the time beer was a hearty, starchy brew that could double as a meal. [ars technica]
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