Week in Review: Art+Auction Ranks Power Figures, Hirst Leaves Gagosian, and More

ART

— Damien Hirst is leaving Gagosian, his longtime gallery, which held exhibitions of his spot paintings at all 11 of their international spaces earlier this year.

— Rachel Corbett examined “Watch Some Movies” staged at Pulse Miami by video artist Casey Neistat, which was a polarizing installation of American clutter with old couches, grilled cheese, beer, and porno mags.

— The editors of Art+Auctionhave ranked their annual list of 100 “power players” in the art world, including those individuals whose influence, ambition, or vision made an impact in 2012 that has potential to reverberate in the coming years.

— The protests against the Tate’s recent sponsorship agreement with BP oil and gas escalated when 15 Tate Members issued a letter to the Tate Members Council to bring the alleged breach of the Tate Ethics Policy before its Annual General Meeting.

— Curated by Roger Gastman, the first Sanrio-themed exhibition in New York kicked off this week at Openhouse Gallery in conjunction with a book of Hello Kitty-inspired art, and Alanna Martinez examined the cute cat’s allure. 

— Julia Halperin explored the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, founded as an artist-run venue in 1974, as the first installment in an exploration of alternative art spaces. 

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

— The cleverly named Brickstarter from Sitra, Finnish Innovation Fund is aiming to engage the crowdfunding community in city building to “make good things happen in your neighborhood.”

— If you enjoyed Snarkitecture’s architectural inflatable environment at Design Miami/, you’ll want to stop by Soho design boutique Grey Areafor their equally untraditional “Broken Ornament.”

— The J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC, which serves as the headquarters for the FBI, may be razed in the coming years, and Kelly Chan asked if the Brutalist concrete behemoth was worth saving.  

— The Rockwell Groupdonated one of their innovative blue foam playground installations for kids’ design investigations to the National Building Museum.

— Kent State University has narrowed down its shortlist of architecture stars to design its new College of Architecture and Design and is now asking four teams to submit proposals for a landmark building.

FASHION & STYLE

— The holiday season is upon us, what on earth will you wear to the office parties, family gatherings, and winter vacations? Heather Corcoran gave some style picks to get you through to the New Year.

— While many designers drew inspiration from Asia this year, Nicholas Remsen stated that Bottega Veneta’s Pre-Fall Japonisme is timeless past the changing fashion seasons.

— Photographer Bruce Weber is the creative director for the January issue of Vogue Germany, which showcases his brooding shots of some “Downtown Abbey” stars.

— A limited-edition tarot deck from Kenzofeatures a blend of iconography and ’60s psych-pop cinema in art by Michael Willis for seeing into a fashionable future.

— Actress Jessica Chastainwas transformed into art by Mickalene Thomas, George Condo, Rineke Dijkstra, and Chantal Joffe for different covers of W magazine’s “Art Meets Fashion” January issue.

PERFORMING ARTS

— “Zero Dark Thirty” won’t be released until later this month, but Craig Hubert gave an overview of the controversy the film version of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden has already stirred up.

— This week Manoel de Oliveira turned 104, and the Portuguese filmmaker is still active with his busy career that started in 1942 with “Aniki-Bobó.”

— In what might be one of the most curious pen pal relationships of the 20th century, the American Readerhas posted correspondence between Alfred Hitchcock and Vladimir Nabokov.

— Bryan Hood named Taylor Swift’s grimy fever dream for her dubstep “I Knew You Were in Trouble” as the “must watch” music video of the week.

— As the apocalypse approaches, Immediate Mediumstaged an immersive performance experience in the abandoned office space of the future Moynihan Station. 

VIDEO

— Collectors Donald and Mera Rubellgave a two-part video interview to ARTINFO during Art Basel Miami Beach on how to buy art, even if you have a modest budget. 

— The mesmerizing Surface Tension Lamp by Frontmade a hypnotic appearance at Booo Lab at Design Miami/, and Janelle Zara documented the bubbly design fun.