Our most-talked-about stories in Visual Art, Design & Architecture, Fashion & Style, and Performing Arts, November 5 - 9, 2012:
ART
— Larry Gagosian’s deposition in the ongoing case against him by nonagenarian collector Jan Cowles was made publicly available, and Julia Halperin reported on what it reveals about the usually private business practices of the dealer and his galleries.
— Two major auction houses,Christie's and Sotheby’s, held their Impressionist and Modern Art sales, with mixed results.
— Although the flood waters of Hurricane Sandy have receded, affected Chelsea galleries are now navigating the nightmare of insurance claims. In the Rockaways, a far more severe crisis unfolded, as emphasized in a video by artists Alex Braverman and Poppy de Villeneuve.
— Did the populist nature of Keith Haring’s art in his lifetime cause it to be undervalued today? Rachel Corbett examines the disparity between his art sales and prolific art profile, and the efforts of some collectors to "correct" the injustice.
— Election week at ARTINFO included Alanna Martinez grading the presidential candidates on their support of the arts, visits to NYC gallery watch parties both raucous and subdued, and Coline Milliard taking a look at a British artist's exploration of the visual iconography of the reelected Barack Obama.
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
— When he passed away late last month, architect Lebbeus Woods left behind a radical vision in drawings, and Kelly Chan explained why his unbuilt designs matter.
— Post-Sandy, two people made the city’s transformed topography iconic: architectural photographer Iwan Baan with his New York Magazine cover, and architect Jake Levine with his delineated drawing of a powerless Manhattan.
— Journalist and comedian Mo Roccadiscussed the aesthetic dysfunction of bad ballots with designer Todd Oldham.
— Turns out that Brad Pitt is a big modernist furniture fan, and is releasing his own line of art deco designs this month with furniture designer and manufacturer Frank Pollaro.
— MoMA PS1announced the five finalists for its 2013 Young Architects Program, one of which will design a temporary installation for the institution's courtyard.
FASHION & STYLE
— With the trend towards younger and younger models, Katharine K. Zarrella asked if the fashion industry has gone too far.
— Ann Binlot spoke with Florence Müller, curator of “Stars in Dior” at the Christian Dior Museum in Granville, France, about the high-end designer.
— This week’s Victoria’s Secret fashion show courted potential controversy when Karlie Kloss strutted the runway wearing a Native American headdress with her lingerie.
— With another four years as a fashionable First Lady ahead, Chloe Wyma chronicled Michelle Obama’s previous style choices and polled the public on which designer she should wear to the inaugural ball.
— The dresser to Queen Elizabeth II is publishing a book on the royal closet, and Caitlin Petreycik listed five fun facts discovered about Her Highness’s style.
PERFORMING ARTS
— The trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s 2013 film “Side Effects” was released, and Craig Hubert gave it a “must watch” review.
— Much-anticipated details about the continuation of R. Kelly’s music video epic “Trapped in the Closet” were released.
– My Bloody Valentine fans can rejoice: The definitive shoe gaze band is finally releasing their long-rumored follow-up to the 1991 “Loveless.”
— Bryan Hood’s must-see music video of the week was The Weeknd’s bleak “The Zone.”
— Craig Hubert talked to Richard Einhorn about the experimental, laser-controlled “The Shooting Gallery,” a collaboration between the composer and filmmaker Bill Morrison that opened this week at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
VIDEO
— Gallerist Stephen Haller, one of the many to be impacted by Hurricane Sandy’s flooding of Chelsea, gave ARTINFO a tour through his 26th Street gallery space and talked about the recovery process.