From The Economist, a special report on the art market. From The New Criterion, an article on the art world vs. the world of art; and the art market explained: Why the bubble won't pop for Pop. A look at how Warhol is soooo overrated. J. C. Gabel reviews Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol by Tony Scherman and David Dalton (and more and more). Whether making work with moldy bread, melting wax, or Froot Loops screenprinted on massive mirrored boxes, Urs Fischer probes the inner workings of embodied experience and cultural production — reframing both process art and kitsch in turn. It is only through the experience of working that answers may be discovered within the inner logic of an invented reality such as the art of painting. America is re-discovering one of its most underappreciated and misunderstood artists: Norman Rockwell (and more). From The Believer, a special issue on Art 2009, including an article on the disappearance of Ford Beckman. Like a cross between a Dan Brown novel and an Indiana Jones adventure: Italian palace fresco may hide Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece. How do they name Leonardo da Vinci paintings like the Mona Lisa? Mexico is restoring the murals of Diego Rivera, admirer of Lenin, friend of Trotsky and lover of Frida Kahlo. A review of Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. From TNR, Jed Perl on Bauhaus 1919–1933: Workshops for Modernity, at the MoMA. In preparing a biography of Braque, Alex Danchev explored the meaning of art and its makers, but upon finishing, he faced a much more personal question.
