Five stories that had the art world talking
VISIONS OF DESTRUCTION
In a sight that shocked news watchers worldwide, flames engulfed Notre-Dame de Paris in April, reminding every witness of the fragility of any cultural inheritance. The roaring blaze began in the attic of the 850-year-old cathedral, destroying the roof and a signature 19th-century spire. But the main structure somehow survived, and ultrawealthy donors quickly pledged massive sums to a fund supporting a complete rebuild. Several months later, a natural disaster in Venice foreshadowed a wider looming crisis. The highest tide in half a century (and second-highest in 1,400 years of recorded history) flooded up to 85 percent of the city, damaging countless historic structures and some priceless art. At a musical conservatory, the water damaged some 1,500 archived manuscripts, including original scores by Vivaldi. Venice’s mayor blamed climate change; by the end of the century, according to some climatologists, the streets of the city will be entirely underwater. And that’s just one cultural capital.
TRIUMPH OF THE REBELS
Art-world activism began to win changes in 2019. At this year’s Whitney Biennial— the nation’s showcase for art of the moment—half the featured artists were women (a first) and a majority were nonwhite. And the New York City museum was also one of the first major institutions where a recent uprising against “toxic philanthropy” had the desired effect. Months-long demonstrations had targeted trustee Warren Kanders, whose company manufactures tear-gas canisters that have been used against migrants and protesters worldwide. Artist Michael Rakowitz pulled out before the Biennial’s May opening, and when eight others threatened to follow suit, Kanders resigned. Earlier, both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History cut ties with the Sackler family—the billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma—over the family’s role in unleashing the opioid epidemic. But the fire of rebellion did not always burn hot where it matters. At the Biennial, the art struck many critics as protest work for an insular audience, or as Wall Street Journal critic Peter Plagens put it, “a raised fist in an opera glove.” its 2019 show. The opening celebrated centuries of taste-obliterating attire and drew scores of celebrities trying to one-up the past, including rapper Cardi B (pictured) in 30,000 feathers and a mile of red silk.