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The Headlines
POLITICAL MISSTEP? Berlin’s Academy of Arts is pushing back against plans to cut the Berlin Art Prize’s prize money in half, calling it both a cultural and political misstep, Monopol reported. In a statement on Tuesday, the Academy also criticized the fact that Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, hasn’t responded to two letters about the issue. The Berlin Art Prize, launched in 1948 to mark the March Revolution of 1848, has always carried political weight. It’s meant to celebrate artistic freedom while promoting democratic self-expression. Right now, the state funds a total of €45,000 for seven awards: €10,000 for the Grand Art Prize and €5,000 each for six other prizes. Even at these levels, the academy says, the sums are modest. Cutting them in half, they warn, would “significantly devalue” the awards and could even threaten the prize’s future. The Academy stressed that it already covers the costs of organizing the prize, running the juries, and hosting the event from its own budget. A funding cut, they say, would hit only the winners, but it could have far-reaching consequences for the prize’s prestige.
PLAYING HOUSE. The president is a “steward” of the White House, not its owner, said US District Judge Richard J. Leon yesterday, while grilling the current administration about its justifications for tearing down the monument’s East Wing last year. It was razed to the ground to build a massive new ballroom without Congressional approval, reports the Washington Post. Conservationists have opposed the $400 million ballroom plan, and Judge Leon should rule on whether the plan must be halted by the end of March. During questioning, the judge said the administration was “brazen” in its claim that it did not need congressional approval for the 90,000-square-foot project, because the president has the right to make alterations and do maintenance on the building. “I’m struggling to see this as an ‘alteration,’” Leon said.
The Digest
South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale, one of the top biennials in Asia, has revealed its theme for its 2026 edition: “You Must Change Your Life.” The title is borrowed from poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s 1908 poem “Archaic Torso of Apollo,” and emphasizes the transformative power of art. [ArtAsiaPacific]
A rare painting by Czech artist Josef Síma has been rediscovered after nearly a century. The newly authenticated 1927 oil painting titled Europa is similar to another key painting by the artist, considered his most important artwork, and it will be auctioned at Freeman’s in New York on April 29. [press release]
Artist Nabil Nahas has discussed the work he will present at the Venice Biennale, where he will represent Lebanon with a national pavilion exhibit titled Don’t Get Me Wrong, curated by Nada Ghandour. [The National]
Opera Gallery is opening a new location in Houston, Texas, marking its 14th international location, joining others in New York, London, Paris, Monaco, Dubai, and Singapore. [Press release]
In an enlightening filmed interview, Lisa Yuskavage discusses her practice and key moments in its evolution, including her discovery of Bellini’s The Sacred Conversation in Venice. “In a way … the abstract in a painting, the formal in a painting, is the sacred conversation within itself and to the viewer,” she said. [Artforum]
The Kicker
ECHO CHAMBER. Artist Christine Sun Kim traps echoes in her latest work to be unveiled at Art Basel Hong Kong. She discusses the suspended digital animation piece titled “A String of Echo Traps” with the Financial Times, as grounded in her experience as a deaf person, and the fraught nature of communication. Forms of echo are “a huge part of Deaf life,” and the piece also comments on “the way the same ideas get echoed in society over and over again, the lack of willingness to change.” But the artist herself is changing. “I feel the urge to experiment,” she said. “I’m slowly making steps to being less clear—I want to work with color!”
