The Digest. 08.25.10.

Artwork Ahead. Snapped in Sydney, Australia, by the highly attentive Chris Baron.

• Profile pictures, Slavic style. (It Really Makes You Think.)
• Today’s Political Must-Read: An eye-opening profile of the billionaire Koch brothers, and their behind-the-scenes funding of fishy “think” tanks. The Smithsonian should be pretty embarrassed about the bit on the last page. (Find the reference right after the drop cap).
• Go, Dick Cavett and Roger Ebert.
• When art doesn’t imitate life: Killing ants in the name of art.
• Ansel Adams trust sues over negatives.
• On shady art dealing practices. (Arts Journal.)
• Eli Broad’s private show palace to land in downtown L.A. Related: Christopher Knight on the history of private museums and Christopher Hawthorne on Diller Scofidio’s architectural design. If you’re gonna read one story about this, read Hawthorne.
• Thank the Lord of Overpriced Convention Center Catering: ‘wichcraft to take over Armory Show food contract. This doesn’t mean I will stop lobbying for a taco truck.
• Scientific evidence shows that ancient statues were pretty tacky. (An Xiao Mina.)
• Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami team up for Britney Spears magazine cover. Forget Work of Art. Surely this trifecta represents the end of civilization? (@streetartblog.)
• The photographs of Tema Stauffer.
• Have been enjoying Timothy Buckwalter’s image essays.
• Yayoi Kusama, baby approved. (@MattressFactory.)
• The first digital camera. Looks like it only weighed 30 lbs.
• Bruce Davidson and other photographers’ ‘80s subway pictures. (The Doree Chronicles.)
• The map as art.
• Not new, but interesting: Jonathan Lethem and Philip Lopate deconstruct Susan Sontag.
• Today’s Graff: Aryz in Barcelona.
• A totally weird stone house in Portugal.
• Minimalism in Legos. (@ARTnewsmag.)