It used to be that the art news slowed down in the summer months, but these days, it seems like the art news never takes a break. So we're trying something a little different this week.
With so much going on, instead of interviewing just one person for the podcast, we have three of our best writer-editors together to chat about some of the stories that have been in the air in July. This week, Artnet News global art critic Ben Davis speaks to Europe editor Kate Brown and business editor Tim Schneider about three stories.
The first item is the news that Frieze, the international art fair chain, has acquired New York's flagship fair Armory Show and Expo Chicago, and what that means for the state of the art market. The second item covers recent developments in the world of NFTs, including a drop from the Jackson Pollock Studio that sold out within the first few hours, and Melania Trump's skirmish with NASA about some space-themed NFTs, plus the state of crypto in the art world at large. Finally, the trio discuss how artists have dealt with Barbie in the past, as a subject of inspiration and satire, and the release of both Greta Gerwig's film based on the Mattel doll and Christopher Nolan's opus on Robert Oppenheimer are filtering through the culture—and which side the art world comes down on in the big Barbie versus Oppenheimer face off.