BEST

The Class of 2020 – Looking for the
next wave of new talent? We heard from nine
art-world insiders about which emerging artists will dominate the
next year.

Exit White Cube – Art-world veteran Eric Shiner is
leaving the London-based gallery to take over Pioneer
Works, the inventive nonprofit art space in Red Hook, Brooklyn. 

Hello, Dolly! – Lawmakers in Tennessee are
considering replacing a controversial Confederate
statue with the likeness of a true American hero, Dolly
Parton.

Julie Curtiss in Bloom – The red-hot
market darling Julie Curtiss spoke to Nate
Freeman about her of-the-moment work, her burgeoning market,
and the danger of predatory speculators.

A Living Legend – Artnet News’s
editor-in-chief Andrew Goldstein sat down with the inimitable New Yorker scribe
Calvin Tomkins to discuss everything from his friendship with
Marcel Duchamp to how he secured a coveted interview with the
elusive David Hammons.

An Olympic Record – The 14-page manuscript outlining what we know
as the modern Olympics sold for $8.8
million, almost nine times its estimate, at
Sotheby’s.

A Very Kusama Khristmas – Archivists were stunned to find an
envelope containing four small works by none other than Yayoi Kusama at the
Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

No Bones About It – An amateur archaeologist walking his dog
stumbled upon a
multi-million-year-old “fish lizard”
skeleton on
England’s Jurassic Coast. 

Show-Ho-Ho’s for the Holidays – Take advantage
of New York’s yuletide season with these eight
museum shows on view through the New Year.

WORST

Pier 24 to Shutter – San Francisco’s non-profit
photography space Pier 24 is set to shutter after a gigantic rent hike, which left the
institution unable to pay. 

Holy Trouble – Spanish nuns are being investigated by national police
for purportedly selling off a 17th-century sculpture at TEFAF that
belonged to the Franciscan priory.

Bannon Moves Forward – Political strategist Steve Bannon will move forward with his
misguided quest to set up an Institute of learning at a
13th-century Italian monastery, where he hopes to spread his
doctrine against so-called “secularist intolerance.”

Dealer In Deep – The diamond dealer
Nazem Said Ahmad has been sanctioned by the US
Treasury Department for allegedly using his art collection to
launder money to Hezbollah.

Benton Kin Sues a Missouri Bank – Family
members of beloved American artist Thomas Hart Benton are filing suit against UMB Bank for allegedly
mismanaging the artist’s estate and losing track of 100 of his
artworks.

The post From the Smithsonian’s Surprise Kusama Cache to the
Spanish Nuns in Hot Water: The Best and Worst of the Art World This
Week appeared first on artnet News.