You know, I’ve long wondered what exactly gets you canceled in the art world, because it doesn’t seem like a whole lot does. A recent psychological study is somewhat illuminating: Respondents reacted more negatively toward an artist accused of sexual assault compared to one accused of murder.
In this time of war, the Reina Sofía puts art history’s most recognizable anti-war painting — Picasso’s “Guernica” (1937) — in dialogue with other artworks to explore political parallels. Right now, it’s paired with South African artist Dumile Feni’s large-scale charcoal drawing “African Guernica” (1967) — particularly timely, Agnish Ray writes, as racial hostilities simmer in Spain.
Meanwhile, a garden grows in Queens — Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian visits artist and poet Precious Okoyomon’s commission in the courtyard of MoMA PS1, which invites viewers to enter a giant teddy bear’s butt and slide through its mouth.
—Lisa Yin Zhang, associate editor
Sexual Assault Allegations Get Artists Canceled More Than Murder, Study Finds
A recent psychological study on so-called “cancel culture” and artistic impact found that its respondents reacted more punitively toward an artist accused of sexual assault (SA) compared to an artist accused of murder.
The sentiment was consistent whether the artist was previously unknown or identified as a respondent’s favorite, and the study revealed that political orientation was not a predictor across the responses. | Rhea Nayyar
Features
A Precious Garden Grows at MoMA PS1
Precious Okoyomon’s new work transforms the concrete corner of the museum courtyard into a place of joy, exploration, and, dare I say, tranquility. | Hrag Vartanian
Madrid Museum Puts Picasso in Dialogue With “African Guernica”
Dumile Feni’s monumental drawing is part of the Museo Reina Sofía’s new program “History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, but It Does Rhyme.” | Agnish Ray
From Our Critics
Widline Cadet’s Doubled Diaspora
The Haitian-born photographer explores how various media, from dusty analog photo albums to cell phone videos, store and shape personal histories of migration. | Debra Brehmer
The Shakers Weren’t Minimalists
An exhibition posits that the sect happened upon the ideals of modern design, overlooking the contradictions and vitality of its culture. | Isabella Segalovich
Community
Remembering Betelhem Makonnen, Betye Saar, and Keith A. Morrison
This week, we honor an explorer of diasporic consciousness, a revolutionary assemblage artist, and the first Black dean of art in the US.
ICYMI
A Homerist Reacts to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”
“This is a tale of a man affected by trauma, but without any sense that it changed him at all.”
