Daily newsletter
Lucian Freud’s paintings of ‘lostness’, the real purpose of art prizes, a new center for Native American art and a lot of chair stuff.
Are art prizes intended to provide artists with recognition and material support, or to strengthen power structures and maintain the status quo? Damien Davis claims the latter is the case in an op-ed just in time for awards season. Give it a read.
Also today: disturbing revelations from the University of North Texas, which ignored an artist’s anti-ICE show last month, Michael Glover on Lucian Freud’s paintings of “lostness,” Lori Waxman on a quirky mid-century modernist show, and a tribute to Pedro Friedeberg, inventor of the “Hand Chair,” who died last week.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
Awards season and the management of cultural power
What is offered as recognition often functions as a way to organize power, determining not only what is seen but also who is in a position to benefit from that visibility. | Damien Davis
Merging craft practices and new media in the Museum of Craft and Design
Through themes such as coding, looping and sampling, ‘Video Craft’ portrays the artisanal roots of emerging film technologies. Now on view in San Francisco.
More information
News
- Laura Phipps, former associate curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, has been appointed the new director of the Gochman Family Collection.
- Text messages show the president and provost of the University of North Texas discussing removing “concerning” artwork before closing Victor Quiñonez’s anti-ICE exhibit, alarming free speech advocates.
From our critics
Lucian Freud mastered the art of being lost
As an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery proves, he was particularly good at depicting people who had painfully drifted away from themselves. | Michael Glover
Mid-Century Modernism Goes Rogue in ‘Chairman-like’
Artists Alex Chitty and Norman Teague give each other the permission needed to do something as heretical as sawing an Eames chair into pieces. | Lori Waxman
Raw Material: The Art and Life of Susan Kleckner
This exhibition at Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery is the first comprehensive retrospective of the groundbreaking feminist, filmmaker, photographer and performance artist.
More information
In memory
In memory of Pedro Friedeberg, Thaddeus Mosley and Liliana Angulo Cortés
This week we honor the inventor of the Hand Chair, a beloved Pittsburgh sculptor and the director of the Museo Nacional de Colombia.
Holly Wong on ‘Ali Eyal Gives Testimony’ by Renée Reizman:
I love Ali’s work so much. His paintings and performances translate into such direct and deeply felt experiences. They give me hope that art still has the power to be authentic, transformational and revelatory. I send him my very best wishes to be recognized and heard. Thanks also to Renée Reizman for giving voice and focus to this beautiful artist. I really appreciate her writing.
University of Rochester Department of Art and Art History – Fanny Knapp Allen Artist in Residence
Artists whose practice focuses on fiber-based and textile processes can apply for this one- or two-year position starting July 1, 2026. Salary ranges from $70,000 to $130,000 (based on qualifications), plus increased research and production support.
Deadline: April 3, 2026 | apply.interfolio.com/181562
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers and performers!
From the Archives
The Stories of 100 Midcentury Chairs
Mid-century modernism continues to inspire our desire to sit on something beautiful and fashionable. | Claire Voon
The chairs that architects designed
Before designing the impressive 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport, Eero Saarinen experimented with a gravity-defying design with his white and red Tulip single-leg chair. | Allison Meier
