Art News. Vasari Codex

article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 13 link 11 artists, 1 gallery

Meet the Woman Who Curated the Art on Miranda Priestly’s Walls

Fanny Pereire, an art advisor specializing in film and television, curates the art seen on the walls of fictional characters like Miranda Priestly in *The Devil Wears Prada 2*, Logan Roy in *Succession*, and Bobby Axelrod in *Billions*. She works as a fine art coordinator, sourcing reproductions and original works to match character personalities and socioeconomic status, often overseeing the destruction of replicas after filming. Her role, created by producer Scott Rudin in 1999, involves clearing copyrights for every artwork shown on screen, from children's drawings to high-end pieces by artists like Wayne Thiebaud and Alex Katz.

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article culture schedule Jan 7, 2026 visibility 14 link 4 artists

monas eyes book cover vermeer painting controversy 1234769003

Thomas Schlesser's novel *Mona's Eyes* has been named Barnes & Noble's book of the year for 2025, but its cover has sparked controversy online. The cover features Johannes Vermeer's *The Girl with the Pearl Earring*, even though the story is about a girl named Mona who visits Paris museums with her grandfather, and the painting is not held in Paris—it resides at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. A viral Reddit thread on an art history subreddit accused the publisher of "ragebait," noting the mismatch between the cover image and the book's content. Schlesser, an art historian who teaches at the École Polytechnique and runs the Hartung Bergman Foundation, defended the choice, saying he wanted an iconic work symbolizing light and darkness rather than highlighting any of the 52 artworks featured in the story.

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article culture schedule Sep 25, 2025 visibility 9 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

art market open door policy jeff magid 1234753579

Jeff Magid, a New York, Los Angeles, and Mexico City–based art collector, plans to open Cuernavaca Tres, a public art foundation in Mexico City, in 2026. In an opinion piece for ARTnews, he argues that the current downturn in the art market—marked by declining sales and gallery closures—is not due to economic cycles or financialization, but rather a simple mismatch: there are more galleries, auctions, fairs, and artists than ever, while the number of buyers has not kept pace. Magid criticizes the luxury retail model adopted by many galleries, which prioritizes exclusivity and status signaling, and contends that this approach fails to attract enough new collectors to sustain the market.

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article culture schedule Jan 15, 2026 visibility 9 link 6 artists

ls lowry ian mckellen documentary 2737539

A new BBC documentary, *L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes*, will mark the 50th anniversary of the artist's death in 1976. The film features never-before-heard recordings of conversations between Lowry and a young fan, Angela Barratt, recorded in his living room—the last and longest interview he ever gave. These tapes will be brought to life through dramatic reenactments, with Ian McKellen lip-syncing Lowry's words and Annabel Smith portraying Barratt. The documentary is produced by Wall to Wall Media and aims to reveal intimate insights into Lowry's thoughts, ambitions, regrets, and humor.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Nov 25, 2025 visibility 8 link 6 artists

secrets of the metropolitan museum 1645864

The article reveals little-known secrets about the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including that its first home was not on Fifth Avenue but at 681 Fifth Avenue, and later the Douglas Mansion, before moving to its current location in 1879. It also notes that the museum's original red-brick facade is barely visible today, hidden within the Robert Lehman Wing, and that its first director, Luigi Palma di Cesnola, controversially mixed and matched parts of ancient sculptures to create composite works, while also misrepresenting their provenance.

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article culture schedule May 2, 2025 visibility 4 link 9 artists

art bites duchamp man ray tennis 2620586

The article recounts the first meeting between artists Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray in 1915, when a language barrier threatened their connection. They broke the ice with an impromptu tennis match using old rackets and a ball, with no net, as Man Ray called out tennis scores and Duchamp simply replied 'yes.' This playful encounter launched a five-decade friendship and prolific collaboration, during which they co-created works ranging from photographs and installations to experimental films, and became central figures in New York Dada.

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article culture schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 12 link 4 artists

Buzkashi horsemen battling for a headless goat: Todd Antony’s best photograph

Photographer Todd Antony discusses his black-and-white series capturing the Central Asian sport of buzkashi, in which horsemen compete to grab and control a headless goat carcass. He traveled to Tajikistan to document matches involving up to 300 riders, shooting from a pickup truck and later taking portraits of riders on farms. One striking image shows three horses and their riders against a snowy mountain backdrop, with fog rolling in—a moment that inspired him to channel Richard Avedon's style using artificial lighting.

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article culture schedule Sep 26, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

photography zora sicher dashwood book geography

Photographer Zora Sicher releases her first monograph, *Geography*, published by Dashwood Books, which compiles her personal archive from 2011 to the present. The book features intimate images of friends, tattoos, and everyday life, including a closing photograph of her and Eden with matching ink from 2012. Sicher, who has worked with figures like Paloma Elsesser and brands like Marni, describes the project as a reflection on time, friendship, and the act of making, rather than technical perfection. The book coincides with a show at Dashwood Projects opening on October 3.

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article culture schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

daniel humm annabelle dexter jones engagement wedding

Michelin-starred chef Daniel Humm proposed to actor Annabelle Dexter-Jones during a portrait sitting with artist Francesco Clemente in New York on February 6. Humm commissioned Clemente to paint Dexter-Jones as a birthday gift, then revealed the completed portrait—Clemente's first nude—with an engagement ring painted on her hand and a matching ring from jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal of JAR in his pocket. The couple, who met at Vito Schnabel's wedding in spring 2024, plan a low-key wedding in New York later this month.

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article culture schedule Oct 30, 2025 visibility 1 link 3 artists

parties culture sam chermayeff stella roos wedding

Sam Chermayeff and Stella Roos are planning a day-long wedding party for 250 people in an abandoned Fascist-era villa in Rome, originally built as Olivetti offices. The couple, who live in Berlin but have no family there, decided on Rome for its festive appeal. They initially considered joining the Catholic Church to secure a venue but ultimately arranged to hold their ceremony in a ruined church on the Appia Antica, with artist Tacita Dean asked to officiate. The party venue, inherited by a friend of a friend, sits near the Baths of Caracalla and features overgrown gardens and dusty rooms. Invitations were designed by their friend Leo of Something Fantastic, and the couple's mood board includes whimsical details like an ice sculpture, tiny potatoes, and a flower chain.

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article culture schedule Mar 26, 2026 visibility 10

Who Created the Book of Kells? A Master Craftsman Takes on the Mystery

A new project led by master craftsman Thomas Keyes aims to recreate medieval vellum-making techniques to test theories about the origin of the Book of Kells. Keyes will build a replica of a washing tank found at the Scottish monastery of Portmahomack and use historically accurate methods, including potentially using seaweed-based lye, to produce vellum. This experimental archaeology seeks to determine if the manuscript's unique physical characteristics match the production methods used at Portmahomack.

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