Lonnie G. Bunch III has had it. After months of incessant harassment and political prodding from the Trump White House, the Smithsonian Secretary announced that he’s quitting his job with “very mixed emotions.” What a sad way to kick off the fall season.
It’s also sad to see New York artist Lucien Smith die at the very young age of 37. Once a market darling, he had abandoned the commercial art world for more community-focused work. Associate Editor Phillip Pyle looks back at his life and career.
Also in the news: Another week, another museum heist in Europe. This time, two paintings disappear from the Renoir Museum in southern France. According to police, the thieves dropped two other paintings in the museum’s garden while officers chased them.
Much more to read below, including John Yau on Law & Order writer and producer René Balcer, who also happens to be a photographer. Maybe Balcer can help Europe with its museum heist problem … DUN DUN.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
The Law & Order Writer Who Moonlights as an Artist
Is René Balcer a street photographer, a documentary photographer, or a landscape photographer? All the above and more.
Despite his achievements as a producer and writer for Law & Order — including a Primetime Emmy Award and multiple Edgar Awards — the throughline of Balcer’s life was direct photography.
After studying poetry and photography at Concordia University in Montreal and taking a six-month seminar taught by the French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, Balcer worked as a cameraman, war reporter, editor, scriptwriter, documentary filmmaker, and film critic. Like Godard and other New Wave filmmakers, Balcer wrote reviews and made films, merging commentary and creativity. | John Yau
Apply for a 2027–2028 Fellowship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Fellowships at SAAM and its Renwick Gallery provide scholars with access to collections, community, and professional advancement.
News
- Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch will step down from his post by the end of the year, amid ongoing attacks on the institution by President Donald Trump and his administration.
- Artist Lucien Smith, an abstract painter whose work as a nonprofit founder and restaurateur channeled the community ethos of 1970s New York, dies at the age of 37.
- A pair of thieves steal two paintings worth millions from the Renoir Museum in southern France during an early-morning break-in on September 8.
- David Rubenstein, the former board chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, purchases Joel Shapiro’s “Blue” (2019) just days after the National Park Service deinstalled the iconic sculpture from the center’s grounds.
Feature
How Korean Paper Became War Collateral
Every sheet of Korean hanji I make carries the same question: What does it mean to preserve a tradition without flattening the people who created it? | Robert Choe-Henderson
Book Review
For Sophie Lewis, Femininity Is Not the Enemy of Feminism
In “Femmephilia,” the author reclaims femininity, sexual pleasure, and adornment from patriarchal narratives in art and theorizes their liberatory powers. | Eileen G’Sell
America in the Making
A new exhibition at the Addison Gallery of American Art examines how art throughout U.S. history reflects a growing national identity.
Member Comment
—Seph Rodney on What the Art World Doesn’t Want You to Know About Yayoi Kusama
ICYMI
In “Whistler,” Ann Patchett Tackles Loss and Art
The beloved author’s new novel tells a story of familial loss and reconnection, beginning with a chance encounter at The Met. But why does it seem to imply that grief and art are at odds? | Lavinia Liang
Gulf Coast Journal — Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing
Gulf Coast invites entries for the 2026 Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. Win $3,000 for first place or $1,000 as a runner-up. This year’s judge is critic Andrew Berardini.
Deadline: September 14, 2026 | gulfcoastmag.org
