BEST

“Contemporary Curated” Rakes in Major
Cash – An online auction at Sotheby’s organized by
Margherita Missoni raked in an impressive $6.4 million, setting a
company record for a digital sale.

Galleries Giving Back – With no end in
sight to the coronavirus pandemic, galleries big and small are stepping up to
support front-line workers and those hardest hit by the fallout
from COVID-19.

Ai Weiwei Speaks Out – The artist and
outspoken activist joined us on The Art Angle podcast this week,
sharing his thoughts on how global leaders have handled the
coronavirus outbreak.

Auction Houses Are Cautiously Optimistic –
Thanks to the worldwide lockdown, collectors are turning to digital
sales en masse. But data shows that big online sales still may not be enough to sustain traditional
auction houses in the long run.

History in the Making – Some artists are
confronting the COVID-19 pandemic in their work
head-on.

Frozen No More – Melting ice due to
climate change revealed some 800 Viking artifacts and the existence of an
unknown ancient trade route in Norway.

Creep-tastic Collections – An internet
challenge prompted museums to post the weirdest, creepiest, most nightmare-inducing
objects from their collections on social
media. 

Primed for Success – Albania’s prime
minister is an artist and a world leader,
and he spoke to Artnet News about balancing his
two professions.

Let’s Get Social – Art-world social media
strategists are handing out their tips for how to reach a wide online audience.

WORST

Peter Beard Found Dead – The beloved
wildlife photographer, inventive artist, and all-around raconteur
has died at age 82, after he went missing for
weeks on Long Island in New York.

The Met Revises Its Loss Estimates – The
stalwart New York institution now expects to lose up to $150 million as
the museum remains closed. To reduce its financial burden, it laid
off 81 employees this week.

Meanwhile, in Other Museum News… – The Broad
museum in Los Angeles and MoMA PS1 also made drastic cuts to staff as the economic
fallout for cultural institutions worsens.

Remembering Those We Lost – Among the tens
of thousands of people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic
are many in the art world. Here are some of their stories.

Caught on Camera – The brazen thief who
stole a Van Gogh from a museum in the Netherlands was filmed using a sledgehammer to break
in.

Culture Takes a Hit – As part of a new,
pared-down budget for next year, the mayor of New York is proposing big cuts to cultural
funding.

The post From Galleries Raising Money for Charity to the Death of
Photographer Peter Beard: The Best and Worst of the Art World This
Week appeared first on artnet News.