Is It an Art School or a Cult?

May 3, 2023

Good morning. ☁️ Today, former students at the São Paulo art school Atelier do Centro share stories of harrowing emotional and sexual abuse by the school's founder, artist Rubens Espirito Santo. They say that instead of an art school, they found themselves in a cult.

In another big story today, art historian Erin Daly describes how she helped expose fake antiquities in an exhibition at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in Iowa. The show was canceled after these revelations.

And we would be remiss if we didn't share the funniest memes about the Met Gala with you, so we are.

There's all that and more, including a review of Katy Hessel's new book The Story of Art Without Men, where there's no place for the male gaze.

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

Is a Brazilian Art School Actually a Cult?

Former students of the Atelier do Centro have come forward with horrific allegations of abuse by Rubens Espirito Santo, the man they once called “master.” | Luana Fortes

SPONSORED

The Museum of Craft and Design Presents Fight and Flight: Crafting a Bay Area Life

Bay Area art is what Bay Area artists make. The San Francisco exhibition features 23 local artists who call this untenable place a creative home. Learn more.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

(via Travis Chapman on Twitter)

This year’s gala was stoppered by one of the driest themes that left almost no room for interpretation, with many resorting to repetitive black and white tweed work, pearls and chains, and unimaginative dress cutouts. Nevertheless, we persisted.

Here is a round-up of Met Gala memes that made the best of this year's meh theme.

SPONSORED

The European Graduate School Announces Its 2023 Summer Program

Join distinguished professors including Alenka Zupančič, Achille Mbembe, and Slavoj Žižek in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, from June 22 to July 25 for the school’s Silver Anniversary session. Learn more.

LATEST REVIEWS

Katy Hessel Kicks Men Out of the Western Art Canon

After reading The Story of Art Without Men, educators may aspire to redesign their art history surveys and syllabi — and trade some Picassos for Gegos. | Nageen Shaikh

SPONSORED

The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery Confronts Contemporary Landscapes in the only constant

Featuring Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Patty Chang, Gil Heitor Cortesão, Sharon Lockhart, Taus Makhacheva, Haroon Mirza, Clifford Ross, Thomas Struth, and Vivek Vilasini. Learn more.

Pratt MFA Graduates Contemplate the Mess We’re In

Part 2 of Pratt's MFA thesis exhibition is all about depicting the toxic capitalist, racist, misogynistic, transphobic status quo in the US. | Daniel Larkin

A Sobering Time Capsule of Humanity

The artists in Message from Our Planet atthe Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis want to shake us awake before it’s too late. | Sheila Regan

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

Now on View: NYC’s Bloated Police Budget

An exhibition organized by the New York Civil Liberties Union harnesses the power of art to illustrate the disastrous effects of over-policing. | Elaine Velie

Berlin's Biggest-Ever Gallery Weekend Was Full of Wonders

The poetic history of melons, odes to Arabic calligraphy, and a dystopian badminton court were among the highlights across 55 galleries. | Max Feldman

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