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The Headlines
A MAJOR ARTIST IN THE JESUIT ORDERwho was briefly excommunicated for special and spiritual abuseis under renewed scrutiny, theAssociated Pressreports. The religious group is asking any victims ofRev.Marko Ivan Rupnikto come forward, a move the wireservice described as part of “an effort to tamp down the scandal” surrounding Rupnik.Last week, per theAP, the Jesuits said that he was excommunicated in 2020 for absolving in confession a woman with whom he had sexual relations, but then had his excommunication lifted that same month. Some observers have criticized that light punishment. Another abuse allegation from a nun, in 2021, was dismissed because the statute of limitations had lapsed. The Catholic news outlet thePillarreportsthat Rupnik, 68, has created work in Europe and the United States and directs thePontifical Oriental Institute, which focuses on culture and theology.
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ARTIST UPDATES.Tau Lewis, whose grand wall-hung mask sculptures made her a breakout star at this year’sVenice Biennale, is in theCut. She currently has a show at52 Walkerin New York, and said, “Everything I do has been dedicated to the ubiquitous, I guess, angel, ancestor, ghost, all of whom are synonymous in my world.” The artist-musicianPatti Smith, who is exhibiting her paintings and drawings at theCentre Pompidou, is inArtnet News. “I don’t like entering a lot of social situations,” she said. “I’m not the most generous person—I might be generous as an artist, but if I’m at a dinner party or something, I mostly want to leave.” And the ever-inventiveTomás Saracenois in theGuardian, on the occasion of his show at theMuseum of Old and New Artin Hobart, Australia. MONA’s founder,David Walsh, offered a pretty nice compliment: “Of the artists I know, Tomás Saraceno is the most likely to change the world.”
The Digest
More than 300 cultural sites inUkraine—including libraries, museums, and churches—have suffered “substantial damage” since Russia’s invasion of the country early this year, according to aNew York Timesinvestigation.[The New York Times]
The influential film curatorAdrienne Mancia, who supported the work of foreign and under-appreciated directors at theMuseum of Modern Artand theBrooklyn Academy of Music, has died at 95. “To discover people who have new ways of saying things with film is thrilling,” she once said.[The New York Times]
UTA Artist Spacein Los Angeles will host anErnie Barnesshow in February that looks at how the late artist depicted music in his work. Earlier this year, Barnes’sSugar Shack(1976)—which appears on the cover ofMarvin Gaye’s albumI Want You(1976)—sold for $15.3 millionatChristie’s, well beyond its $150,000 low estimate.[ARTnews]
For many years, a radiant portrait of the writerJoan Didionhung in her home, but when she died and the painting was readied for sale, the auction house could not initially identify its creator. The work sold at $110,000 (on a $5,000 high estimate), and its astonishing and moving backstory have now been revealed.[The New York Times]
Speaking of remarkable discoveries:Zaharia Cusnirdied in obscurity in 1993, but the chance find of a trove of his photographs a few years ago has him “being hailed as an artist of rare talent, a master of composition whose works’ striking intimacy has been celebrated in exhibitions” across Europe,Andrew Higginswrites.[The New York Times]
New York’s latest issue focuses on rise of the term “nepo baby,” meaning the children of Hollywood celebrities who follow their parents into the business. The phenomenon, of course, exists in art, too, and journalistRachel Corbettcompiled a handy primer to five such families, from theMugrabisto theWildensteins.[Vulture/New York]
The Kicker
WHEN I PAINT MY MASTERPIECE.Bob Dylan—songwriter, painter, sculptor, whiskey creator, author, and more—has a new book out, and gavea very rare, very wide-ranging interviewto theWall Street Journal. One tidbit: During lockdown, he “made some landscape paintings.” On the topic of creativity, he also had a lot to offer. “When we’re inventing something, we’re more vulnerable than we’ll ever be,” he said. “Eating and sleeping mean nothing. We’re in ‘Splendid Isolation,’ like in theWarren Zevonsong; the world of self,Georgia O’Keeffealone in the desert. To be creative you’ve got to be unsociable and tight-assed.” Hope that is inspiring for all you artists reading this![WSJ]
