Philadelphia's Bizarre Columbus Day Paint Job

October 11, 2022 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌤️ Shortly before Indigenous Peoples’ Day yesterday, the city of Philadelphia made the controversial decision to paint a boarded-up Christopher Columbus statue with the colors of the Italian flag. Controversy aside, they also messed up the colors of the flag, which could easily be seen as Iran's or Mexico's.

Also in Philadelphia, the city's largest museum has disabled comments on its social media accounts amid mounting criticism as its workers' union strike enters its third week. And in Washington, DC, the National Gallery of Art announced that a Vermeer painting in its collection wasn't actually made by the Dutch artist.

There's a lot more today, but I'd like to draw your attention to our coverage of newly opened galleries and other art spaces in New York City, starting with a selection of venues in Manhattan. Expect other boroughs soon!

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

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Vera List Center for Art and Politics Presents 2022 Forum, Correction*

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LATEST NEWS

A Columbus statue was boarded up and its box painted the colors of the Italian flag. (photo Isabella Segalovich/Hyperallergic)

Philadelphia city officials painted a plywood box covering a controversial Columbus statue with the colors of the Italian flag — a move some found offensive on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The National Gallery of Art discovered that “Girl With a Flute” was not created by Johannes Vermeer but by an unidentified student or associate.

The beleaguered Philadelphia Museum of Art disables social media comments as union members continue their indefinite strike.

Billy Al Bengston, an influential painter and key figure in the heady, freewheeling 1960s Los Angeles art scene, dies at 88.

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Full Funding Is Available for Graduate Students in Art and Design at the University of Illinois

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IN NEW YORK CITY

Seven New Art Spaces to Visit in Manhattan

From a basement gallery to a repurposed legendary punk-rock nightclub, these new kids on the block have something for everyone. | Elaine Velie, Jasmine Liu, and Valentina Di Liscia

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Iranian-American Artist Shirin Neshat’s Land of Dreams Opens at SITE Santa Fe

The multidisciplinary exhibition features a selection of film, video, and photography focused on the cinematic landscape of New Mexico and its residents. Learn more.

Two Art Commissions Look at Lincoln Center’s History Anew

Nina Chanel Abney and Jacolby Satterwhite’s works for David Geffen Hall remember the vibrant history of the neighborhood. | Jasmine Liu

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Smithsonian American Art Museum Presents “John Yau: Frederic Edwin Church and Thomas Nozkowski and Their Views of the Catskills”

On October 12, the award-winning art critic, poet, and Hyperallergic editor will examine nature through the contrasting visions of a 19th-century landscape painter and a 20th-century abstractionist. Learn more.

SPOTLIGHTING ARTISTS

Art That Bridges Cultures and Heals Wounds

Silvina Der-Meguerditchian's work stands as a testament to how art exhibited in the present provides an important key to the forgotten and erased histories of the past. | Louis Fishman

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Camille Walala’s “Ice and a Slice” Takes Over XNA Airport

Visible from the sky, a bold new installation signals that art is a part of everyday life in Bentonville, Arkansas. Learn more.

The Unexpected Detours of Marshall Brown's Architectural Collages

By disrupting the reality of his images Brown's collages lead to surprises. | John Seed

Mary Toscano Draws a Sense of Foreboding and Loneliness

The artist’s exhibition In Solution is a fitting farewell for Salt Lake City’s Alice Gallery. | Scotti Hill

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