From a mural by Veng and Sofia Maldonado for Art School Without Walls in Alphabet City. (Image courtesy of Niborama.)
- Things you need to know: In Carthage, Missouri, there is a Precious Moments Chapel. And I’m supremely jealous that Chris Albert has been there.
- Mitt Romney was a Soc.
- How Yahoo killed Flickr. (Kottke.)
- Because art made from Google Street View has been beat to death: I’m currently at work on a series of images drawn entirely from TripAdvisor.
- California’s resale royalties act is struck down on the basis that one state’s law cannot govern commerce in another state. (@KellyCrowWSJ.)
- On the new Barnes Foundation: Roberta Smith likes. Christopher Knight, not so much.
- Culture is Collage: Jonathan Lethem’s very interesting 2007 essay in Harper’s explores that very fine line between inspiration and appropriation and the cultural limitations of copyright.
- Related: Joanne McNeil interviews Lethem for Rhizome, in which the author discusses books as physical objects, as well as the issue of appropriation.
- Even more related: Federal judges hear oral arguments in Richard Prince’s appeal of the Cariou v. Prince copyright case. My favorite bit is the defense being used by Prince’s lawyers: “The works’ value and originality, they posited, was proved by the sky-high market for the works.” Thank goodness I wasn’t in the courtroom or I may have been ejected for audibly snort-laughing.
- Pictures by the Prague secret police. (@thebookslut.)
- “We can expect art booms whenever income inequality rises quickly.” Will Brand at Art Fag City has put together an all kinds of essential quote guide that examines the idea of art as investment.
- Related: A talk on income inequality is too hot for TED.
- Think gentrification is light-speed in Brooklyn? Try China.
- Hot Authors. Seriously.
- Narchitecture, Serbian edition: Because nothing says “arms dealer” like a gilded bidet. Not to mention fur and a gun. (Hyperallergic Labs.)
- For the typography nerds: a video game in which you shoot down serifed fonts.
- A brief history of John Baldessari, as told by Tom Waits.
