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Marcel Duchamp paid his dentist, Daniel Tzanck, with a hand-painted forged check in 1919, titled *Tzanck Check*. The work mimics a real bank check made out for $115, drawn on the fictitious “The Teeth’s Loan & Trust Company Consolidated.” Duchamp meticulously painted each letter to look printed, and the dentist—who was also a major art collector—never cashed it, recognizing its artistic value. The check is now a promised gift to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, with a 1938 reproduction held by M+ museum in Hong Kong.

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The article, written by an art critic for Cultured, opens by describing recent U.S. government actions under Executive Order 14253, including the National Park Service's restoration of a monument to Confederate General Albert Pike and a White House letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III ordering a review of Smithsonian programming to align with a directive to "celebrate American exceptionalism." The critic notes Bunch's balancing act of cooperating while asserting the Smithsonian's independent authority. The piece then pivots to the state of art criticism, referencing Domenick Ammirati's essay on the perpetual "crisis in criticism," and highlights Marco Brambilla's exhibition "Limit of Control" at bitforms gallery as the year's most under-appreciated show, praising its use of AI to explore political violence and protest.

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This article from Cultured explores the history and evolution of the art heist genre across film, television, and books. It traces the genre's origins from the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa by Vincenzo Peruggia to its appearance in 19th-century detective serials by Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and later in French New Wave noirs and slick 1990s heist films. The piece highlights recent entries like Kelly Reichardt's film *The Mastermind* starring Josh O'Connor, and compiles a list of key works including *Animal Crackers* (1930), *How to Steal a Million* (1966), *The Thomas Crown Affair* (1968/1999), and *Hudson Hawk* (1991), noting how the genre reflects changing attitudes toward wealth, crime, and the sublime power of art.

Painting Has Entered Its Performance Era

The rise of short-form video platforms like Instagram and TikTok has transformed painting from a static medium into a performative spectacle. To compete with algorithmic preferences for transformation and speed, artists are adopting specific visual grammars such as the "art reveal"—where a canvas is dramatically flipped toward the camera—and "speed painting," which turns the creation process into a high-stakes live event. These trends emphasize the labor and human presence behind the work, often utilizing emotional storytelling and direct engagement to build dedicated fanbases outside traditional gallery structures.

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Johnny Depp has directed a new film titled "Modigliani – Three Days on the Wing of Madness," based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, which dramatizes 72 hours in the life of Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The film stars Riccardo Scamarcio as Modigliani and follows the artist's struggles with relationships, money, police, and a meeting with a collector, set against his bohemian life in early 20th-century Paris. It marks Depp's first directorial effort since 1997's "The Brave."

8 Art Films Worth Watching in May

8 Kunstfilme, die sich im Mai lohnen

Monopol magazine presents eight art films worth streaming in May, including a documentary featuring 40,000 slides from critic Jerry Saltz capturing the 1990s New York art scene, Shirin Neshat's film "Women Without Men" about women in 1953 Tehran, Christian Petzold's new film "Miroirs No. 3," and a documentary on the Shroud of Turin. The roundup also includes a politically charged drama directed by Yael Bartana and a Dada-metal film, offering a diverse selection of art-related cinema.

Matisse, Soulages, Chagall… The most beautiful churches and chapels decorated by artists throughout France

Matisse, Soulages, Chagall… Les plus belles églises et chapelles décorées par des artistes dans toute la France

Renowned modern and contemporary artists have transformed various religious sites across France into immersive 'total works of art.' From Pierre Soulages’ translucent stained-glass windows in the Abbey of Sainte-Foy in Conques to Pablo Picasso’s monumental 'War and Peace' murals in Vallauris, these projects demonstrate how secular artists have engaged with sacred architecture. The article highlights ten specific locations where artists like Matisse, Chagall, and Cocteau integrated painting, glasswork, and furniture into historic ecclesiastical settings.

On the Background in the Cinema

Film Notes has published a new essay by scholar Tiago de Luca, drawn from his research on environment and cinema. The essay focuses on the conceptual and aesthetic role of the background in film, tracing its technical history and examining its relation to power, marginalization, and environmental crisis.