What We're Reading: 8/27/24
Another New Leader for Indianapolis Museum Roiled by Racism Outcry
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is getting its third leader in four years as it continues to deal with the fallout from a racially insensitive job posting that led to its longtime leader’s departure in 2021.
Newfields, whose campus includes the museum, announced on Monday that Le Monte G. Booker Sr., the chief financial officer of Chicago’s Field Museum, would serve as its next president and chief executive. Booker replaces Colette Pierce Burnette, the first Black woman in the role, who departed last November for unclear reasons after just over a year on the job.
Via NYT
Young Artists Rode a $712 Million Boom. Then Came the Bust.
How did the best years of Amani Lewis’s career turn into the worst time of the artist’s life?
First came the meteoric rise. A haunting painting Lewis made in 2020 sold at auction just a year later for $107,100, more than double its estimate. Two other works had recently tripled expectations, and a collector offered $150,000 in cash for new pieces fresh from the studio. There were shows in Paris and Miami — Lewis had seemingly conquered the market at age 26, upgrading to a new art studio and a Tesla.
But when the original painting re-emerged at auction in June and its price plunged to $10,080 — losing 90 percent of its value — the party was over. By then, Lewis had stopped renting a $7,000-a-month luxury apartment in Miami and temporarily moved in with their brother.
Via NYT
AI-Generated Images Are Spreading Paranoia and Misinformation. Can Art Historians Help?
If recent headlines are any indication, one of the most pressing issues right now is the threat posed by fake or manipulated images. The wide availability of generative AI, along with the increasingly user-friendly interface of image editing software like Photoshop, has enabled most people with a computer and internet access to produce images that are liable to deceive. The potential dangers range from art forgery to identity fraud to political disinformation. The message is clear: images can mislead, and the stakes are high. You should learn to detect the real from the fake.
Via Art in America
Venus Williams on the Latest Stop in Her Art Journey: Hosting a Photography Podcast
Tennis star Venus Williams has teamed up with the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh to host the institution’s new podcast, “Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology, and the Contemporary Landscape.”
The six-episode series is a companion piece to the institution’s exhibition of the same name, which opened in May and is on view through January 2025. The show features 19 artists, including Tomás Saraceno, Justine Kurland, and Cyprien Gaillard. It represents the fourth cycle of the museum’s Hillman Photography Initiative, launched in 2013 to bring new ideas about photography to museum audiences.
Via Artnet
Thumbnail image: Venus Williams recording the podcast "Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology, and the Contemporary Landscape" in May 2024 Photo by Stefano Ceccarelli, courtesy of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.