Art News: Monthly Round-Up
We take a look back at some of the art world's biggest news stories from the last month
By
Adam Wells
May 27, 2022
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
Warhol’s Marilyn becomes most expensive American artwork…
Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe, entitled Shot Sage Blue Marilyn and created in 1964 two years after the actress’s death, became the most expensive piece of American art on 9th May, selling for $195m. The record - previously held by Pablo Picasso’s 1955 painting Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), which sold for $179.4m in 2015 - was broken after just four minutes of bidding at Christie’s New York, with the winning bid reportedly coming from American art dealer and gallery owner Larry Gagosian. The sale broke the record for the most expensive American artwork to sell at auction, previously held by a 1982 skull painting by Warhol’s contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat which sold for $110.5m in 2017.
…While a piece by Man Ray sets a new record for Photography
Meanwhile, Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres also sold at Christie’s for $12.4 after over 10 minutes of competitive bidding, becoming the most expensive photograph in the process. First published in the Surrealist magazine Littérature in June 1924, the piece serves as one of the movement’s best-known images, depicting model Kiki de Montparnasse nude from the waist up, with two f-holes from a violin painted on her back. The auction house’s International Head of Photographs Darius Himes described the piece as “an icon of 20th-century art”, noting that “Photography has been the invention and medium quietly underpinning and influencing much of the art and popular culture of the 20th century”, with the art form serving as one frequently defined by the surrealist movement. With Ray’s photograph fully embodying surrealism’s fascination with metamorphosis and form, it perhaps serves as one of the best examples of the movement’s values and aims.
William Gannon is not Banksy
William Gannon is a local Welsh politician serving in the small Welsh town of Pembroke Dock. However, it is not his political and civic duties that had his name at the forefront of art news this past month; Gannon resigned from his post after a conspiracy theory pointed to him as the man behind the anonymous and ever elusive Banksy. The speculation was fed by his four-decade long career as a local artist and not only made his new role untenable but also sparked new waves of vandalism in the area leading to Gannon’s resignation. Speaking to the Telegraph to deny the rumour, Gannon noted that while he “was in much the same places as Banksy at much the same times doing much the same stuff as a community artist and a lot of the information crosses over”, the idea that he was the artist was untrue.
Fashion conservationists criticise Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress
Returning to Marilyn Monroe, conservationists from across the art and fashion worlds have criticised Kim Kardashian for her decision to wear the actress’s iconic dress at the Met Gala. The gold dress was worn by Monroe at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, during which she famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy, and is now considered a major cultural artefact. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) put out a statement shortly after the event maintaining that “Historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that fragrance, makeup, jewellery, stage lighting, humidity, and photographic flashes can all be damaging to such artefacts. In an Instagram post following the incident, Dutch fashion curator Madelief Hohé went as far as to add that “wearing historic garments is unethical [and] an insane assault on our profession”. Others such as curator Chaédria LaBouvier have also criticised the act on a conceptual level, with a cultural artefact defined by its specific role in fashion history being stripped of its context and meaning, and serving as “a true reflection of the incuriosity which governs our imaginations” within the Met Gala and cult of celebrity it inspires.
