The best things we found this week.
Huskmilk v. Hobby Lobby
Not a true legal case, but a case of excellent negotiation by ceramic artist Kara Klimshuk. Klimshuk saw three obvious copies of her work on a visit to Hobby Lobby. Klimshuk reached out. Hobby Lobby “pulled the three knockoff vases from their website, at least temporarily while they investigate further, and parked inventory of those vases in their warehouses.” As well they should.
Not Safe For (Art)work: Pornhub Creates ‘Classic Nudes’ Tours of Museum Collections
Did you know Katherine is a former sex educator? That’s why she has such a great poker face.
Adult video website Pornhub website recently launched “Classic Nudes,” an exhibition of paintings from six museums around the world, explaining that “porn may not be considered art, but some art can definitely be considered porn.”
It’s true! Art historians verify that Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Goya’s La Maja Desnuda were intended to titillate. When the printing press was invented, the Bible was the first book to roll off, but guess what the next sheets were? Porn!
Pornhub’s saucy exhibition will “[guide] you…directly to the good stuff.” Plus, the graphic design is gorgeous and the copy is…cheeky. 😉
Damien Hirst Has Created 10,000 Artworks That Can Be NFTs, if You Want.
Katherine sneers at NFTs (she calls them “tulips“) but Morasha is getting her to reconsider by pointing out curious uses of the form.
The project, titled Currency, launched on July 14 and consists of 10,000 artworks conceived as a “batch of artworks that could theoretically function as a currency unto itself.”
Here’s the curious piece: “Hirst definitely believes every participant in it is participating in a work of art – the holding and buying and trading is part of the artwork.” It’s a game, in which the collector is posited as a co-creator. How flattering to collectors. How difficult for an IP lawyer to untangle on resale.
The NFT revolution isn’t just a fad. These galleries and artists were ahead of the curve
Yeah, Katherine rolls her eyes at NFTs, but when Brian Boucher says we ought to take them seriously, she listens. He elicited some thought-provoking quotes from gallerists, such as “unlike the stock market, the blockchain presents a technology solely for the people, where your peers dictate value, and information is accessible for all.” We can get behind that!
Cruise Ships Officially Banned From Venice
Venice declared its lagoon a “national monument” and kicked out the cruise ships! Declaring the lagoon a monument is akin to calling it work of art, and this designation makes sense for the city – Venice’s art and architecture is fully imbricated with its environment. It’s a wonderful decision, both ecologically and artistically. We’re curious to see if this strategy will be used in other ecologically sensitive and artistically important areas.