Commentary: From NFTs to long-overdue reckonings, 10 things that shaped the art world in 2021

LOS ANGELES — Seen any art lately?

Sometimes a year becomes a marker in social history, and 2021 shall be forever known as the year when right-wing domestic terrorists attacked the U.S. Capitol, leaving dead bodies and a scandalized nation in their wake. Eventually, the horrific benchmark may resonate in cultural offerings.

For now, given the still somewhat topsy-turvy world of art museums and galleries as the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on, simple gratitude is due for art opportunities that have improved greatly over last year at this time. Many (and probably most) places have reopened at the moment with at least some public access. The casual serendipity that accompanies traditional gallery-going, dropping in and breezing out, plus the more directed pleasures of museum visits, aren’t yet back to normal — but maybe next year.

So, it doesn’t