December 21, 2021 • View in browser

Good morning. ☁️ Today, the Guggenheim Museum director’s total compensation rose from the previous year as 11% of staff were laid off, the omicron variant is shuttering European museums, and an exhibition of the art of the late, great Bob Thompson reimagines art history.

I will be hosting two Twitter Spaces this week, so join us today (Tuesday, December 21) at noon EST for a chat with artist Addie Wagenknecht about making art during the pandemic, NFTs, and more. I spoke to her earlier this year for a podcast on NFTs, which you might want to also check out.

On Thursday, December 23 (noon EST), I chat with art historian Erin Thompson about her recent trip to Nepal, where a looted Lakshmi-Narayan sculpture was finally returned after decades in the United States. It’s an incredible story.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

While 11% of Staff Was Laid Off, Guggenheim Director Made Record $1.5 Million

The museum says its director, Richard Armstrong, took a 25% pay cut during the pandemic — but the reduction didn't apply to "compensation earned in prior years." | Valentina Di Liscia

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ALSO IN THE NEWS

Art institutions across Europe return to the COVID-19 closures of last year, seeing the rapidly rising wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant.

The European Commission announced new restrictions on the ivory trade, banning all trade in raw ivory as well as imports and re-exports of worked ivory.

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Carnegie Mellon’s Interdisciplinary MFA Challenges Students to Expand the Meaning of Being an Artist

This top-ranked program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania offers a new graduate facility, generous tuition scholarships, guaranteed graduate assistantships, esteemed faculty, and more. Learn more.

LATEST IN ART

Bob Thompson's Provocative Challenge to Euro-American Art History

A new retrospective expands on the late artist’s legacy as a Black Expressionist who teased out Civil Rights-era tensions in the United States. | Billy Anania

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MassArt Presents MFA Photography Winter Thesis Exhibition at SoWa Gallery

The Nature of Your Departure showcases the work of four MFA candidates in Photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Learn more.

Assemblage Art for the Age of the Online Shopper

Bader brings a conceptual playfulness to found-object assemblage, updating Marcel Duchamp’s concept of the assisted readymade for the age of the online shopper. | Nolan Kelly

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Tamil-Canadian Artist Shan Vincent de Paul’s NFT Collection Has a Twist

These multimedia works debuting on Voice include a “Death Mechanism” and allow fans to collect the artist’s origin story, told specifically for the metaverse. Learn more.

An LA Gallery’s Sexy Xmas Tradition

The Lodge has a cheeky interpretation of Christmas cheer. | Jennifer Remenchik

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A Buoyant Holiday Tradition Returns to Joe’s Pub

Yemen Blues brings their sonic blend of Yemenite, West African, and Jazz back to Joe’s Pub in New York City this December, featuring opener Ahmed Alshaiba. Learn more.

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Take a sleigh ride with Lucas Fagen through the makings of a Christmas song, from the Carpenters' classic arrangements to Amy Grant’s not-so-jolly “Tennessee Christmas."

Anatomy of a Christmas Song

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and kitsch is in the air. | Lucas Fagen

Two Sad Christmas Songs

What if the season is not jolly? | Lucas Fagen

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