The Art News You Missed While Keeping Up With #FreeBritney
This week the Pop Princess is officially started the process of pressing charges against her father for abuse of his conservatorship, Italy celebrated their win in the Euros, and summer weather began to return to the UK. Here’s the headlines from the world of art and fashion that you might have missed.
We’re wishing safety to all of our Belgian and German sisters in the wake of the recent flooding.
Hugs,
The Girls x
Art
‘Classic Nudes’ Collection on Pornhub Sparks Raised Eyebrows 
Pornhub – yes, Pornhub – have launched a series of video and downloadable tours around the world’s greatest museums looking at the best nudes and saucy scenes. In a press release, the company say they want to “stimulate” the public into “fall[ing] back in love (or lust) with these cultural institutions”. Museums included in the NSFW tours include the Louvre, the New York Met, the Uffizi Gallery, Museo del Prado, and London’s National Gallery. You can access the information, plus video recreations of paintings by adult acting duo MySweetApple, via the Pornhub site. As Pornhub says – “porn may not be considered art, but some art can definitely be considered porn”. We’re a fan of anything that gets more people looking at art, so I guess this is a win. Naughty.
Gainsborough’s Blue Boy Returns to London, but at a Price
World-famous ‘The Blue Boy’ is returning to the UK for the first time in 100 years. The painting will be on display at the National Gallery in London from the 25th of January to the 15th of May, 2022. It was purchased by Henry E Huntington in 1919 and has since remained on display at the Huntington Art Gallery in California. The National Gallery are in talks with the Huntington to loan them Joseph Wright of Derby’s ‘An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump’ in return. Experts have warned against the Gainsborough masterpiece travelling back across the pond due to its old age and the risk of damage to the canvas.
Fashion
Kanye West x Gap – a Match Made in Heaven? 
Yeezy himself is collaborating with the second time with Gap. Kanye’s popularity has been waining in recent times – from his open support of Donald Trump to his divorce from Kim K – and Gap has also been on a losing streak. In the third quarter of 2020 Gap lost £45 million, so we’ve got our fingers crossed that this collaboration will do wonders for both of them. The new release will include womenswear, menswear, and childrenswear. Kanye said that “Yeezy is the McDonald’s and the Apple of apparel” and we hope that the new ‘go round’ jacket can live up to Kanye’s ego.
Valentino Ditches Angora Wool Forever 
Angora wool, made from fur plucked from live rabbits, is being dropped from all future Valentino collections. The controversial material – along with genuine fur in general – has also been ditched by Gucci, Burberry, Hugo Boss and more. This is a great step towards a kinder fashion industry; Yvonne Taylor, the director of corporate projects at PETA said “The future of fashion lies in materials that no animal had to suffer or die for.” We, and the rabbits, are jumping for joy.
Market
Football Interferes with Sotheby’s hopes for Old Masters Sale 
Sotheby’s latest sale on July 7th certainly didn’t go as planned, bringing in much less their healthy estimate. The Old Masters sale included a still life by Jan Brueghel the Elder which failed to sell, despite being expected to be the second most expensive sale of the night. 21 out of the 49 artworks in the auction failed to sell, which probably wasn’t helped by the fact that there were no guarantees on any lots. The auction coincided with the Euros semi-final match between England and Denmark, and experts think that this might have distracted potential buyers!
Damien Hirst launches ‘The Currency’ – with a Twist
YBA legend Damien Hirst’s NFT project ‘The Currency’ launched on Wednesday. 10,000 near-identical spot paintings on A4 paper were released, each with a watermark and hologram (like on cash) to make them harder to forge. Every physical work came with a corresponding NFT. However, two months after purchase, the owner must decide whether they will keep the physical work or the NFT. You cannot choose both. If you choose the NFT, the physical artwork will be destroyed, and if you choose the artwork, the NFT will be deleted from the blockchain. Hirst is making a statement with this collection: what is the real value of art? We can’t wait to see what happens.
Author: Verity Babbs
