BEST

Kruger’s Hidden Messages – Barbara Kruger
is debuting a new series of public banners throughout Los
Angeles that probe existential questions.

Wes Anderson Gets Arty – Everyone’s
favorite director is delving into the art world for a new film based
on art dealer Joseph Duveen, starring a real-life celeb artist,
Adrien Brody.

Plastics Abound – Just in time for New
York’s plastic bag ban, an artist is erecting a pop-up grocery store in Times Square where
all of the products are made from—you guessed it—upcycled
plastic.

Women’s Museum in the Works – The
Smithsonian could get a national women’s museum soon, after a bill to
found the institution overwhelmingly passed in the House of
Representatives (though it’s still pending in the Senate).

Various Small Fires Is Heating Up – The
LA-based gallerist Esther Kim Varet visits The Art Angle podcast
to discuss her gallery’s “startup” culture and surviving the art
fair frenzy.

Making History at the Venice Biennale
— Artist Sonia Boyce will be the first black woman to represent the UK at the
art-world Olympics with a dedicated national
pavilion.

Banksy’s Love Letter to Bristol — The
elusive street artist left a Valentine’s Day mural on a building in
his hometown of Bristol, England—and people are loving
it.

WORST

Censorship at the Museum – A complaint
from a board member at the National Art Gallery in
Kuala Lumpur resulted in artworks being removed from a show,
prompting an outcry from artists.

Trump Tries to Axe NEA… Again – The
President’s latest budget would slash funding for the National Endowments for the
Arts, which he’s attempted to do four times already.

Art Critic’s Major Art-Fair Faux Pas – A
Mexcian art critic shattered a pricy artwork by Gabriel Rico at
the Zona Maco art fair by setting a can of Coke on it
(yikes).

Activists Protest BP Funding – Some
1,500 people showed up to the British Museum with a
Trojan Horse as part of their ongoing protest against the
institution’s ties to the fossil fuel company.

Blain Southern Shutters – The Blain
Southern gallery is closing all three of its international
locations amid financial troubles—and artists are left to
try to recoup money and art from the dealers.

Sputtering Auction Sales – Auction
juggernaut Christie’s raked in a disappointing total from its Postwar and
Contemporary sale in London, with the lowest total in ten
years. Sotheby’s did a bit better in the same week, while
Phillips hosted its own weak sale.

The post From Banksy’s Valentine’s Day Present to an Art
Critic’s Art-Fair Faux Pas: The Best and Worst of the Art World
This Week appeared first on artnet News.