Weekly Daddy Wrap Up for 10/24/24
All the art daddy news that is fit to print.
Weekly Daddy Wrap Up for 10/24/24
With Basel Paris and NADA Paris officially wrapped up things are a bit quieter on the international art fair front. News wise there's been things happening in the art world. Everyone seemed very pleased coming back from Paris and there's a great recap of the fair from The Art Newspaper's The Week in Art. Take a listen here. As Ben Luke and TAN's market editor note, it is a younger and sexier fair and there is a lot to take in.
Next week, the NYC daddies are back at it for the 36th edition of Art Dealer Association's Art Show. It will bring together over 70 international galleries and some of the art daddy's fav to poke at namely Anton Kern, James Cohan and Adam Lindemann. People are now putting their sights towards Basel Miami. I am still waiting for them to do their first official colab with me.
The cover of Chicken Soup for the Art Soul.
In an interesting turn of events this week on social media, after pointing out the excruciating and heartwarming soup content on art advisor Dan Oglander's IG feed, he reshared my post of him photoshopped onto a cover of the art daddy version of Chicken Soup for the Art Soul. I am not sure about my feelings for Dan, but at least he has a sense of humor. This evolved into some top chef themed content featuring my fav chaotic cooker Ray Ray Bulman.
Dan and Ray Art Daddy Top Chef edition.
Which RJ's gallery The Hole, reshared! This shocking encounter has me wondering if maybe Raymond has softened to the art daddy. I have yet to make direct contact and receive a thank you for the bday gift for my sauce last month, but, maybe this is a digital olive branch of sorts.
Well, in my quest to further understand and investigate Ray's infamous vodka sauce, as some of you may remember, last month sent him the first in a series of sauces. Well, it's a month later, and it's time to send another sauce.
Waiting for Ray Ray’s Preggo to ship.
I now think of myself as a sauce expert as someone who is part Italian, and well versed in the kitchen as well, and want to impart some of my saucy ways on Ray. Is it a sauce of the month club? Not quite. I am thinking of it more like a flight of sauces and last month he hopefully sampled the Classico. This month I sent him a creamy tomato vodka sauce from Preggo that is being delivered today. Ray, if you’re reading this, would love to get your tasting notes buddy.
Keep reading for the daddy headlines.
Daddy Julie Mehretu Helps to Make Admission at Whitney Museum Free for Everyone Under 25
This week, celebrated painter Julie Merhetu donated $2.5 million dollars to the Whitney Museum to be used for free admission for people under 25 years of age. Merhetu and Susan Hess’ donated money for the new “Free 25 and Under” program beginning mid-December and set to last three years according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Whitney Museum.
This is a huge win for the museum who announced just last fall that they would be raising the price of general admission to $30 and $24 for students which makes it one of the most expensive institutions to visit in the city now.
The cost of admission has often been viewed as a barrier for people to attend. And with many arts budget cuts around the country, as well as inflation, and the larger overhead costs of running a museum, this has often been the argument used by institutions for paid missions. This development is a great opportunity for the Whitney to help make art more accessible to people in NYC and beyond.
The Artist Alicia Henry Passes Away
This week the sad news broke that the US-based artist Alicia Henry passed away after a battle with Cancer. Henry used textiles as a basis of much of her work and explored larger themes of identity, family. The uses of faces and masks were an integral part of her artwork that was widely collected.
Alicia Henry in 2013.
Henry was the subject of numerous shows over the course of her career at various art galleries and institutions including the Frist Center for Visual Arts in Nashville, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, and the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh and many others. Henry was a professor of art at Fisk University in Nashville, one of the oldest historically Black colleges in the US for several years as well. She will be greatly missed.
Reflective Daddy: Looking Back on Brian Balfour-Oatts
I am now in a reflective phase because I burst out on the social media scene last fall with a lot of auction content and have evolved since then. One thing that I think many people may or may not realize is that if you were outside of London for the better half of the last century then you may not have heard of Brian Balfour-Oatts. Well, in my willingness to promote daddies of the art world, I picked Brian from relative obscurity and helped to elevate him and make him an art world household name.
However, in the course of this Brian and I became frenemies and he missed a multimillion dollar opportunity to partner with Oatly milk for brand partnership. Instead , the boomer that he is, he opted out for animal milk and with this decision, as well as his carbon footprint, he is helping to further the global warming crisis among many other issues. As we head towards Miami Basel, I am a year older and wiser, and think I am a bit better at spotting daddies to collab with. Also, Brian totally wrote his own Wiki page and has a questionable art past.
Brian’s soul still appears to be missing.
I made Brian relevant again. And I do feel he is now drunk with his new power, the little that he has. But the truth is, he's really not relevant. Or ever really was. I just helped to make him part of the conversation again, but he no longer is and frankly needs to move onto greener pastures.
Take Adam Lindemann for example. Adam can be a little extra with his cowboy hats and weekly guitar videos, but deep down, we love his Dolly Parton era. But on his recent trip to Venice he became via the art daddy a gondolier. Well, turns out Adam didn't appreciate the content as much as me.
Adam in his new role as a gondolier.
Well, Adam, I know you are signed up for this, and sometimes daddy gets excited. So “tks” for understanding.
Well as we head into the height of auction season there is sure to be more to see and do. There will be lots of sightings of Henry, Phyllis, and Yu-Ge and others and I can’t wait to watch! Until next week daddies.
In a NYT Style section manner, I also want to set forth some taste making elements.
I am reading: I'm still reading Get the Picture by Bianca Bosker.
I am drinking: Pomegranate Dragon Fruit Seltzer from Good and Gather
I am looking at: Elizabeth Catlett at the Brooklyn Museum
Until next time daddies be sure to follow The art daddy substack as well as on Instagram to get your daily dose of daddies. Dm's are always open for news, gossip, and tea sessions.