August 3, 2021 • View in browser

Hello, August! Today, Lynn Hershman Leeson in all her cyborg glory, Picasso called the moon landing "meh," and the story of a mystical masseuse.

— Elisa Wouk Almino, Senior Editor

Move Over, New York; Chicago Comics Affirms a Vibrant Local Legacy

Immersive and vast, the exhibition showcases the breadth and depth of the city’s rich comics history. | Elisa Shoenberger

SPONSORED

Queer Art and Historical Ephemera Up for Auction at Swann

Material from the 1800s through contemporary times includes art by Tom of Finland, Gerda Wegener, and JEB, as well as works of lesbian pulp fiction and more, all available on August 19. Learn more.

PICASSO'S MOON LANDING "MEH"

Picasso's "The Old Guitarist" (1904) is just as excited about the moon landing as the artist himself.

Picasso’s underwhelmed response to the 1969 moon landing is the "meh" energy we all need as billionaires race to space. His quote in a New York Times roundup of reactions remains an impressive display of apathy even in today’s notoriously cynical culture: “It means nothing to me. I have no opinion about it, and I don’t care.”

ART AND FILM

Lynn Hershman Leeson, in All Her Cyborg Glory, Gets a Retrospective

A foremother to young new media artists working today, Hershman Leeson has blazed a trail for more than five decades. | Cassie Packard

Milan Museum Commemorates Fascist Past at the Expense of the Present

If it seeks to help us “avoid the errors of the past,” more will be needed from Milan's House of Memory museum. | Charlie Jarvis

SPONSORED

Lowy Virtual Framing Makes Framing Art Easy

You can digitally preview up to 4,000 antique and contemporary frames from Lowy’s vast collection with any artwork of your choice. Learn more.

How India’s Creative Community Became a Beacon of Hope During COVID-19

Every cake, every artwork, and every photograph made a difference towards the greater good to benefit vulnerable populations. | Rohini Kejriwal

A Mystical Masseuse Sends a Gated Community Into Upheaval

Director Malgorzata Szumowska uses fantasy to satirize the lives of the affluent in Poland’s official Oscar submission. | Ela Bittencourt

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FROM THE ARCHIVE

The Small Pleasures and Anxieties of Comic Book Fairs

Sitting at a table in a comic book convention makes you confront some of your own insecurities. | Lauren Purje