news article about art
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/magazine/mark-zuckerberg-meta-art.html
What Will Art Look Like in the Metaverse?
2021-12-01
Dean Kissick
<div><article><div><p>Advertisement</p><p><a href="#after-top">SKIP ADVERTISEMENT</a></p></div><header><p>Screenland</p><p>Mark Zuckerberg wants us thinking about visual art when we contemplate his company’s new venture. Artists should take the suggestion seriously.</p><div><figure><div></div><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div></header><section><div><p>In the opening pages of Ben Lerner’s debut novel, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/books/review/what-leaving-the-atocha-station-says-about-america.html">“Leaving the Atocha Station,”</a> his narrator goes to Madrid’s Prado museum and observes a stranger breaking into sobs in front of Rogier van der Weyden’s “Descent From the Cross,” a votive portrait attributed to Paolo da San Leocadio, and <a href="https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-garden-of-earthly-delights-triptych/02388242-6d6a-4e9e-a992-e1311eab3609">Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights.”</a> He watches the man until he leaves and follows him out into the sunshine. The narrator has worried for a long time that he is incapable of having such a profound experience of art. Many of us, I imagine, have experienced the failure to be moved by a painting as we’d hoped to be. I thought of this passage as I watched the first major ad for Meta, Facebook’s rebranding as a metaverse company, which also takes place in a museum. But here the art is moving — quite literally.</p><p>The video begins with four young people looking at Henri Rousseau’s “Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo,” which hangs in the Cleveland Museum of Art. As they peer into the frame, the tiger’s eyes flicker and the whole painting comes to life and opens up into a three-dimensional animated jungle. The tiger and the buffalo, the toucans and monkeys and the mandrills in the trees, all start dancing to an old rave tune; the kids bop along, too. Fruit trees grow around them in the gallery. Above the rainforest canopy, in the distance, stands a mysterious hexagonal portal, and beyond that, in the misty red hills, the towering skyline of a great tropical city. It’s a scene that suggests Facebook may be returning to Silicon Valley’s countercultural origins: a psychedelic dream of a global community sharing in collective hallucinations.</p></div><div><figure><p></p><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><div><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOn2CZWnxxY&amp;ab_channel=Reuters">The video keynote that Meta released</a> to explain itself to investors also features art prominently, opening with a demo in which a couple of Mark Zuckerberg’s co-workers find a piece of augmented-reality street art hidden on a wall in SoHo. It’s brought to life by 3-D animation and ported over from Lower Manhattan to virtual reality, growing into a nightmarish Cthulhu-like blob that surrounds their avatars. (Zuckerberg: “That’s awesome!”) For some reason, the company wants us to think about art when we think about its new product. Perhaps it’s because they want us to see it as a platform for creative self-expression — or perhaps just because fine art provides a more edifying context than video games or working from home.</p></div><div><p>This apparent stance toward art is at once moronic and apt; moronic because it reduces art to a mere gewgaw, apt because other entrepreneurs have already embraced this view. The animated Rousseau assumes the popular logic of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/arts/design/van-gogh-immersive-experiences.html">“Van Gogh immersive experience,”</a> in which the dour old Dutchman’s paintings of starry nights and ominous wheat fields are projected onto the walls and floors to create an enveloping spectacle, attraction and selfie backdrop. Both presume that audiences can enjoy artworks only when they’re in the process of being ruined. And in the case of the Van Gogh experience, the market has proved them right: There are currently at least five different competing Van Gogh experiences touring the country. The copy has surpassed the original. This has remained a consistent theme throughout the history of Facebook, which offers a pale simulation of friendship and community in place of the real thing. Meta promises to lead us farther into the forest of illusions. </p><p>And yet the return to an art of dreaming and escapism is an enticing proposition. Rousseau, painting jungles in his studio in Paris beginning in his middle age, was escaping his own humdrum life as a retired municipal toll-service employee. He is said to have often told stories of his youthful adventures and how his tour of duty in Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico had inspired his jungle pictures; but these were all lies. In reality he played in an infantry band and never once left France. </p><blockquote><h2>An important thing to remember about the metaverse is that none of this has been made, neither the jungle nor the technology to display it.</h2></blockquote><p>Rousseau found his actual inspiration in travel books and regular visits to the Jardin des Plantes, of which he once told an art critic, “When I go into the glass houses and I see the strange plants of exotic lands, it seems to me that I enter into a dream.” It was this uncanny dream space, where fierce animals have the quality of children’s book illustrations and bananas grow upside-down on the trees, that he conjured in his paintings; and it was the childlike originality and naïve purity of these depictions that his fellow artists would come to admire.</p><p>In late-19th and early-20th century Paris, Rousseau and his contemporaries (Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, etc.) were busy inventing bohemian modernity, creating new ways of living and of seeing the world. In our century, that visionary role appears to have passed from the artists to the engineers, to Zuckerberg and his ilk. Who else tries to invent new universes? Who dares spin grand utopian fantasies? Artists don’t anymore. It’s Silicon Valley’s Promethean founders who try — and routinely fall short.</p></div><div><p>Meta’s offering is not an appealing one: It’s somehow both childish and cynical. But a vision of the future ideated by a creative agency for a megacorporation was always going to be dreadful. The problem is not that kids today cannot appreciate a Rousseau masterpiece, but that their elders, my generation, are unsure of how to come up with anything that might compare to it — we have forgotten how to imagine a different world entirely. </p><p>An important thing to remember about the metaverse is that none of this has been made, neither the jungle nor the technology to display it. You can’t really go to a museum and do this. It’s just an idea, a whisper on the wind. An ad about nothing. It’s Meta. The more times I watch the ad, and the keynote where Zuckerberg explains his vision in detail, the more it seems that he has no idea what he’s making or selling. That’s bad for a company but not for artists, who flourish with an open brief. Indeed, much of the keynote is a call for thousands of “creators” to help build a functioning metaverse and a promise that they’ll be paid to do so.</p><p>Contemporary art is currently dominated by painting and sculpture, by traditional materials and old ways of making. Companies outside of the art world, meanwhile, are using digital technology to remake timeless masterpieces as evanescent gimcracks, as projected tourist attractions and animations. But few artists are doing what Rousseau and his peers did: accepting the realities imposed by new technologies — in their case, photography — and breaking the old ways apart to create something new. An artist with the spirit of Rousseau might appreciate the potential of this new medium and want to make art for the metaverse and the wider public. Now, as in his day, he wouldn’t be remaking old works from the past but coming up with fantastical scenes from his dreams: sights he’d never witnessed in his own life, rendered in a style that nobody had ever seen. Today it feels possible, perhaps for the first time this century, to invent completely new aesthetics — so long as someone takes the reins from the technologists.</p><hr/><p> Source photographs: Screen grabs from YouTube</p><p>Dean Kissick is a writer and the New York editor of Spike Art Magazine. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/magazine/pomodoro-technique.html">He last wrote for the magazine about the Pomodoro technique.</a></p></div></section><div><p>A version of this article appears in print on , Page 11 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: Starry Eyes</p></div><div><p>Advertisement</p><p><a href="#after-bottom">SKIP ADVERTISEMENT</a></p></div></article></div>||||I|||| Skip to contentSkip to site index
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 What Will Art Look Like in the Metaverse?

 Mark Zuckerberg wants us thinking about visual art when we contemplate his company’s new venture. Artists should take the suggestion seriously.

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 Credit... Photo illustration by Alicia Tatone

 By Dean Kissick

 Dec. 1, 2021

 In the opening pages of Ben Lerner’s debut novel, “Leaving the Atocha Station,” his narrator goes to Madrid’s Prado museum and observes a stranger breaking into sobs in front of Rogier van der Weyden’s “Descent From the Cross,” a votive portrait attributed to Paolo da San Leocadio, and Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights.” He watches the man until he leaves and follows him out into the sunshine. The narrator has worried for a long time that he is incapable of having such a profound experience of art. Many of us, I imagine, have experienced the failure to be moved by a painting as we’d hoped to be. I thought of this passage as I watched the first major ad for Meta, Facebook’s rebranding as a metaverse company, which also takes place in a museum. But here the art is moving — quite literally.

 The video begins with four young people looking at Henri Rousseau’s “Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo,” which hangs in the Cleveland Museum of Art. As they peer into the frame, the tiger’s eyes flicker and the whole painting comes to life and opens up into a three-dimensional animated jungle. The tiger and the buffalo, the toucans and monkeys and the mandrills in the trees, all start dancing to an old rave tune; the kids bop along, too. Fruit trees grow around them in the gallery. Above the rainforest canopy, in the distance, stands a mysterious hexagonal portal, and beyond that, in the misty red hills, the towering skyline of a great tropical city. It’s a scene that suggests Facebook may be returning to Silicon Valley’s countercultural origins: a psychedelic dream of a global community sharing in collective hallucinations.

 The video keynote that Meta released to explain itself to investors also features art prominently, opening with a demo in which a couple of Mark Zuckerberg’s co-workers find a piece of augmented-reality street art hidden on a wall in SoHo. It’s brought to life by 3-D animation and ported over from Lower Manhattan to virtual reality, growing into a nightmarish Cthulhu-like blob that surrounds their avatars. (Zuckerberg: “That’s awesome!”) For some reason, the company wants us to think about art when we think about its new product. Perhaps it’s because they want us to see it as a platform for creative self-expression — or perhaps just because fine art provides a more edifying context than video games or working from home.

 This apparent stance toward art is at once moronic and apt; moronic because it reduces art to a mere gewgaw, apt because other entrepreneurs have already embraced this view. The animated Rousseau assumes the popular logic of the “Van Gogh immersive experience,” in which the dour old Dutchman’s paintings of starry nights and ominous wheat fields are projected onto the walls and floors to create an enveloping spectacle, attraction and selfie backdrop. Both presume that audiences can enjoy artworks only when they’re in the process of being ruined. And in the case of the Van Gogh experience, the market has proved them right: There are currently at least five different competing Van Gogh experiences touring the country. The copy has surpassed the original. This has remained a consistent theme throughout the history of Facebook, which offers a pale simulation of friendship and community in place of the real thing. Meta promises to lead us farther into the forest of illusions.

 And yet the return to an art of dreaming and escapism is an enticing proposition. Rousseau, painting jungles in his studio in Paris beginning in his middle age, was escaping his own humdrum life as a retired municipal toll-service employee. He is said to have often told stories of his youthful adventures and how his tour of duty in Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico had inspired his jungle pictures; but these were all lies. In reality he played in an infantry band and never once left France.

 An important thing to remember about the metaverse is that none of this has been made, neither the jungle nor the technology to display it.

 Rousseau found his actual inspiration in travel books and regular visits to the Jardin des Plantes, of which he once told an art critic, “When I go into the glass houses and I see the strange plants of exotic lands, it seems to me that I enter into a dream.” It was this uncanny dream space, where fierce animals have the quality of children’s book illustrations and bananas grow upside-down on the trees, that he conjured in his paintings; and it was the childlike originality and naïve purity of these depictions that his fellow artists would come to admire.

 In late-19th and early-20th century Paris, Rousseau and his contemporaries (Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, etc.) were busy inventing bohemian modernity, creating new ways of living and of seeing the world. In our century, that visionary role appears to have passed from the artists to the engineers, to Zuckerberg and his ilk. Who else tries to invent new universes? Who dares spin grand utopian fantasies? Artists don’t anymore. It’s Silicon Valley’s Promethean founders who try — and routinely fall short.

 Meta’s offering is not an appealing one: It’s somehow both childish and cynical. But a vision of the future ideated by a creative agency for a megacorporation was always going to be dreadful. The problem is not that kids today cannot appreciate a Rousseau masterpiece, but that their elders, my generation, are unsure of how to come up with anything that might compare to it — we have forgotten how to imagine a different world entirely.

 An important thing to remember about the metaverse is that none of this has been made, neither the jungle nor the technology to display it. You can’t really go to a museum and do this. It’s just an idea, a whisper on the wind. An ad about nothing. It’s Meta. The more times I watch the ad, and the keynote where Zuckerberg explains his vision in detail, the more it seems that he has no idea what he’s making or selling. That’s bad for a company but not for artists, who flourish with an open brief. Indeed, much of the keynote is a call for thousands of “creators” to help build a functioning metaverse and a promise that they’ll be paid to do so.

 Contemporary art is currently dominated by painting and sculpture, by traditional materials and old ways of making. Companies outside of the art world, meanwhile, are using digital technology to remake timeless masterpieces as evanescent gimcracks, as projected tourist attractions and animations. But few artists are doing what Rousseau and his peers did: accepting the realities imposed by new technologies — in their case, photography — and breaking the old ways apart to create something new. An artist with the spirit of Rousseau might appreciate the potential of this new medium and want to make art for the metaverse and the wider public. Now, as in his day, he wouldn’t be remaking old works from the past but coming up with fantastical scenes from his dreams: sights he’d never witnessed in his own life, rendered in a style that nobody had ever seen. Today it feels possible, perhaps for the first time this century, to invent completely new aesthetics — so long as someone takes the reins from the technologists.

 Source photographs: Screen grabs from YouTube

 Dean Kissick is a writer and the New York editor of Spike Art Magazine. He last wrote for the magazine about the Pomodoro technique.

 A version of this article appears in print on , Page 11 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: Starry Eyes . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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Advertisement  SKIP ADVERTISEMENT    Screenland Mark Zuckerberg wants us thinking about visual art when we contemplate his company’s new venture. Artists should take the suggestion seriously.            In the opening pages of Ben Lerner’s debut novel, “Leaving the Atocha Station,” his narrator goes to Madrid’s Prado museum and observes a stranger breaking into sobs in front of Rogier van der Weyden’s “Descent From the Cross,” a votive portrait attributed to Paolo da San Leocadio, and Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights.” He watches the man until he leaves and follows him out into the sunshine. The narrator has worried for a long time that he is incapable of having such a profound experience of art. Many of us, I imagine, have experienced the failure to be moved by a painting as we’d hoped to be. I thought of this passage as I watched the first major ad for Meta, Facebook’s rebranding as a metaverse company, which also takes place in a museum. But here the art is moving — quite literally. The video begins with four young people looking at Henri Rousseau’s “Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo,” which hangs in the Cleveland Museum of Art. As they peer into the frame, the tiger’s eyes flicker and the whole painting comes to life and opens up into a three-dimensional animated jungle. The tiger and the buffalo, the toucans and monkeys and the mandrills in the trees, all start dancing to an old rave tune; the kids bop along, too. Fruit trees grow around them in the gallery. Above the rainforest canopy, in the distance, stands a mysterious hexagonal portal, and beyond that, in the misty red hills, the towering skyline of a great tropical city. It’s a scene that suggests Facebook may be returning to Silicon Valley’s countercultural origins: a psychedelic dream of a global community sharing in collective hallucinations.            The video keynote that Meta released to explain itself to investors also features art prominently, opening with a demo in which a couple of Mark Zuckerberg’s co-workers find a piece of augmented-reality street art hidden on a wall in SoHo. It’s brought to life by 3-D animation and ported over from Lower Manhattan to virtual reality, growing into a nightmarish Cthulhu-like blob that surrounds their avatars. (Zuckerberg: “That’s awesome!”) For some reason, the company wants us to think about art when we think about its new product. Perhaps it’s because they want us to see it as a platform for creative self-expression — or perhaps just because fine art provides a more edifying context than video games or working from home.   This apparent stance toward art is at once moronic and apt; moronic because it reduces art to a mere gewgaw, apt because other entrepreneurs have already embraced this view. The animated Rousseau assumes the popular logic of the “Van Gogh immersive experience,” in which the dour old Dutchman’s paintings of starry nights and ominous wheat fields are projected onto the walls and floors to create an enveloping spectacle, attraction and selfie backdrop. Both presume that audiences can enjoy artworks only when they’re in the process of being ruined. And in the case of the Van Gogh experience, the market has proved them right: There are currently at least five different competing Van Gogh experiences touring the country. The copy has surpassed the original. This has remained a consistent theme throughout the history of Facebook, which offers a pale simulation of friendship and community in place of the real thing. Meta promises to lead us farther into the forest of illusions.  And yet the return to an art of dreaming and escapism is an enticing proposition. Rousseau, painting jungles in his studio in Paris beginning in his middle age, was escaping his own humdrum life as a retired municipal toll-service employee. He is said to have often told stories of his youthful adventures and how his tour of duty in Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico had inspired his jungle pictures; but these were all lies. In reality he played in an infantry band and never once left France.   An important thing to remember about the metaverse is that none of this has been made, neither the jungle nor the technology to display it.  Rousseau found his actual inspiration in travel books and regular visits to the Jardin des Plantes, of which he once told an art critic, “When I go into the glass houses and I see the strange plants of exotic lands, it seems to me that I enter into a dream.” It was this uncanny dream space, where fierce animals have the quality of children’s book illustrations and bananas grow upside-down on the trees, that he conjured in his paintings; and it was the childlike originality and naïve purity of these depictions that his fellow artists would come to admire. In late-19th and early-20th century Paris, Rousseau and his contemporaries (Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, etc.) were busy inventing bohemian modernity, creating new ways of living and of seeing the world. In our century, that visionary role appears to have passed from the artists to the engineers, to Zuckerberg and his ilk. Who else tries to invent new universes? Who dares spin grand utopian fantasies? Artists don’t anymore. It’s Silicon Valley’s Promethean founders who try — and routinely fall short.   Meta’s offering is not an appealing one: It’s somehow both childish and cynical. But a vision of the future ideated by a creative agency for a megacorporation was always going to be dreadful. The problem is not that kids today cannot appreciate a Rousseau masterpiece, but that their elders, my generation, are unsure of how to come up with anything that might compare to it — we have forgotten how to imagine a different world entirely.  An important thing to remember about the metaverse is that none of this has been made, neither the jungle nor the technology to display it. You can’t really go to a museum and do this. It’s just an idea, a whisper on the wind. An ad about nothing. It’s Meta. The more times I watch the ad, and the keynote where Zuckerberg explains his vision in detail, the more it seems that he has no idea what he’s making or selling. That’s bad for a company but not for artists, who flourish with an open brief. Indeed, much of the keynote is a call for thousands of “creators” to help build a functioning metaverse and a promise that they’ll be paid to do so. Contemporary art is currently dominated by painting and sculpture, by traditional materials and old ways of making. Companies outside of the art world, meanwhile, are using digital technology to remake timeless masterpieces as evanescent gimcracks, as projected tourist attractions and animations. But few artists are doing what Rousseau and his peers did: accepting the realities imposed by new technologies — in their case, photography — and breaking the old ways apart to create something new. An artist with the spirit of Rousseau might appreciate the potential of this new medium and want to make art for the metaverse and the wider public. Now, as in his day, he wouldn’t be remaking old works from the past but coming up with fantastical scenes from his dreams: sights he’d never witnessed in his own life, rendered in a style that nobody had ever seen. Today it feels possible, perhaps for the first time this century, to invent completely new aesthetics — so long as someone takes the reins from the technologists.   Source photographs: Screen grabs from YouTube Dean Kissick is a writer and the New York editor of Spike Art Magazine. He last wrote for the magazine about the Pomodoro technique.     A version of this article appears in print on , Page 11 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: Starry Eyes   Advertisement  SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
What Will Art Look Like in the Metaverse?
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/magazine/mark-zuckerberg-meta-art.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/01/non-fungible-tokens-take-no-1-spot-in-influential-art-world-power-list
Non-fungible tokens take No 1 spot in influential art world power list
2021-12-01
Nadia Khomami
<div><div><p>The<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/nfts"> non-fungible token</a> or NFT has taken the No 1 spot in the annual ranking of the contemporary art world’s most influential movers and shakers – marking the first time a non-human entity has topped the list.</p><p>ERC-721, the specification for the “non-fungible token” on the Ethereum block-chain, tops the 20th Power 100 list published by <a href="https://artreview.com/">ArtReview</a>, after a year in which it upended the art market by bringing together contemporary art and millennial meme culture.</p><figure></figure><p>ArtReview said NFTs had given rise to a whole new generation of collectors and allowed artists to find ways around the traditional gatekeepers of the market.</p><p>“NFTs have turbocharged a new crossover between pop culture and contemporary art, even if you can’t avoid the fact that the NFT explosion is driven by a feverish speculation over cryptocurrencies,” JJ Charlesworth, editor at ArtReview, said.</p><p>“But the broader principle behind NFTs is perhaps more important – the idea of digital assets and virtual collectibles are a seductive prospect for artists making art in an increasingly online, virtual culture, and won’t be going away any time soon.”</p><p>The most valuable NFT to date is a collage by digital artist Beeple, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/mar/11/christies-first-digital-only-artwork-70m-nft-beeple">which sold for £50.3m at Christie’s in March</a>. Musician <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/02/grimes-sells-digital-art-collection-non-fungible-tokens">Grimes sold a collection of digital artworks</a> for almost $6m (£4.4m), while the original photo behind the 2005 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/30/disaster-girl-meme-nft-sale-zoe-roth">Disaster Girl meme</a> sold for $473,000 (£354,000). Collins Dictionary even made NFT <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/nov/24/nft-is-collins-dictionary-word-of-the-year">its word of the year</a>.</p><p>Following the Black Lives Matter movement last year, the new Power 100 list reflects the degree to which ideas rather than specific artworks reflect a shift in the industry.</p><figure><div></div><figcaption>Artist Theaster Gates was named the fourth most powerful person in ArtReview’s Power 100. Photograph: Sara Pooley/White Cube, London</figcaption></figure><p>At No 2 is the anthropologist Anna L Tsing, and No 3 are Indonesian collective ruangrupa, who champion collaborative practice and will curate the Documenta 15 exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 2022. American artist Theaster Gates is at No 4, followed by German visual artist Anne Imhof at No 5.</p><p>The list also speaks to the art world’s inherent contradictions. While NFTs and cryptocurrencies have been criticised for their environmental impact, the past year has seen artists, curators and galleries reflect on the climate crisis and capitalism.</p><p>Among these are Indigenous Australian collective Karrabing Film Collective (No8), curator Lucia Pietroiusti (13) and artist Olafur Eliasson (15).</p><p>Artists whose work relates to the manifold injustices raised by the BLM movement continued to feature heavily. At No 9 is Carrie Mae Weems, whose photographs and installations address Black female subjectivity, and at 11 is Kara Walker, whose work also tackles issues of race, gender and violence.</p><p>Achille Mbembe (14), Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy (16) and Koyo Kouoh (38) have all led the calls for the restitution of looted objects to their places of origin.</p><p>Mark Rappolt, editor-in-chief, ArtReview, said there were “significantly fewer” western museums on the list this year, which in part reflects the reality that they are no longer driving the dialogue about contemporary art so much as reacting to it.</p><p>“This may in turn reflect the slower pace of their processes or bureaucracies, but also the extent to which efforts to initiate dialogues about restitution, race and gender are coming from outside rather than within established orders,” he said.</p><p>The list was compiled by 30 unnamed panellists and collaborators from around the world. Previous number-ones have included Damien Hirst, the artistic director of the Serpentine, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, and the German artist Hito Steyerl.</p><p><h2>The Power 100 Top 10</h2></p><p>1 ERC-721 <br />2 Anna L Tsing <br />3 ruangrupa <br />4 Theaster Gates <br />5 Anne Imhof <br />6 Fred Moten <br />7 Cao Fei <br />8 Karrabing Film Collective <br />9 Carrie Mae Weems <br />10 David Graeber and David Wengrow</p></div>||||I||||Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
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 Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
 This article is more than 1 year old

 Non-fungible tokens take No 1 spot in influential art world power list

 This article is more than 1 year old

 ERC-721’s topping of ArtReview’s Power 100 is first time a non-human entity has led list

 Nyan Cat, a pixelated flying feline that became a YouTube meme sensation, sold as an NFT for $531,000 in February. Photograph: ERC-721. Nyan Cat
 Nyan Cat, a pixelated flying feline that became a YouTube meme sensation, sold as an NFT for $531,000 in February. Photograph: ERC-721. Nyan Cat

 Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent
 Tue 30 Nov 2021 19.01 EST Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 10.07 EDT
 * 
 * 
 * 

 The non-fungible token or NFT has taken the No 1 spot in the annual ranking of the contemporary art world’s most influential movers and shakers – marking the first time a non-human entity has topped the list.

 ERC-721, the specification for the “non-fungible token” on the Ethereum block-chain, tops the 20th Power 100 list published by ArtReview, after a year in which it upended the art market by bringing together contemporary art and millennial meme culture.

 ‘I went from having to borrow money to making $4m in a day’: how NFTs are shaking up the art world
 Read more

 ArtReview said NFTs had given rise to a whole new generation of collectors and allowed artists to find ways around the traditional gatekeepers of the market.

 “NFTs have turbocharged a new crossover between pop culture and contemporary art, even if you can’t avoid the fact that the NFT explosion is driven by a feverish speculation over cryptocurrencies,” JJ Charlesworth, editor at ArtReview, said.

 “But the broader principle behind NFTs is perhaps more important – the idea of digital assets and virtual collectibles are a seductive prospect for artists making art in an increasingly online, virtual culture, and won’t be going away any time soon.”

 The most valuable NFT to date is a collage by digital artist Beeple, which sold for £50.3m at Christie’s in March. Musician Grimes sold a collection of digital artworks for almost $6m (£4.4m), while the original photo behind the 2005 Disaster Girl meme sold for $473,000 (£354,000). Collins Dictionary even made NFT its word of the year.

 Following the Black Lives Matter movement last year, the new Power 100 list reflects the degree to which ideas rather than specific artworks reflect a shift in the industry.

 Artist Theaster Gates was named the fourth most powerful person in ArtReview’s Power 100. Photograph: Sara Pooley/White Cube, London

 At No 2 is the anthropologist Anna L Tsing, and No 3 are Indonesian collective ruangrupa, who champion collaborative practice and will curate the Documenta 15 exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 2022. American artist Theaster Gates is at No 4, followed by German visual artist Anne Imhof at No 5.

 The list also speaks to the art world’s inherent contradictions. While NFTs and cryptocurrencies have been criticised for their environmental impact, the past year has seen artists, curators and galleries reflect on the climate crisis and capitalism.

 Among these are Indigenous Australian collective Karrabing Film Collective (No8), curator Lucia Pietroiusti (13) and artist Olafur Eliasson (15).

 Artists whose work relates to the manifold injustices raised by the BLM movement continued to feature heavily. At No 9 is Carrie Mae Weems, whose photographs and installations address Black female subjectivity, and at 11 is Kara Walker, whose work also tackles issues of race, gender and violence.

 Achille Mbembe (14), Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy (16) and Koyo Kouoh (38) have all led the calls for the restitution of looted objects to their places of origin.

 Mark Rappolt, editor-in-chief, ArtReview, said there were “significantly fewer” western museums on the list this year, which in part reflects the reality that they are no longer driving the dialogue about contemporary art so much as reacting to it.

 “This may in turn reflect the slower pace of their processes or bureaucracies, but also the extent to which efforts to initiate dialogues about restitution, race and gender are coming from outside rather than within established orders,” he said.

 The list was compiled by 30 unnamed panellists and collaborators from around the world. Previous number-ones have included Damien Hirst, the artistic director of the Serpentine, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, and the German artist Hito Steyerl.

 The Power 100 Top 10

 1 ERC-721
 2 Anna L Tsing
 3 ruangrupa
 4 Theaster Gates
 5 Anne Imhof
 6 Fred Moten
 7 Cao Fei
 8 Karrabing Film Collective
 9 Carrie Mae Weems
 10 David Graeber and David Wengrow

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 * Art
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The non-fungible token or NFT has taken the No 1 spot in the annual ranking of the contemporary art world’s most influential movers and shakers – marking the first time a non-human entity has topped the list. ERC-721, the specification for the “non-fungible token” on the Ethereum block-chain, tops the 20th Power 100 list published by ArtReview, after a year in which it upended the art market by bringing together contemporary art and millennial meme culture.   ArtReview said NFTs had given rise to a whole new generation of collectors and allowed artists to find ways around the traditional gatekeepers of the market. “NFTs have turbocharged a new crossover between pop culture and contemporary art, even if you can’t avoid the fact that the NFT explosion is driven by a feverish speculation over cryptocurrencies,” JJ Charlesworth, editor at ArtReview, said. “But the broader principle behind NFTs is perhaps more important – the idea of digital assets and virtual collectibles are a seductive prospect for artists making art in an increasingly online, virtual culture, and won’t be going away any time soon.” The most valuable NFT to date is a collage by digital artist Beeple, which sold for £50.3m at Christie’s in March. Musician Grimes sold a collection of digital artworks for almost $6m (£4.4m), while the original photo behind the 2005 Disaster Girl meme sold for $473,000 (£354,000). Collins Dictionary even made NFT its word of the year. Following the Black Lives Matter movement last year, the new Power 100 list reflects the degree to which ideas rather than specific artworks reflect a shift in the industry.    Artist Theaster Gates was named the fourth most powerful person in ArtReview’s Power 100. Photograph: Sara Pooley/White Cube, London  At No 2 is the anthropologist Anna L Tsing, and No 3 are Indonesian collective ruangrupa, who champion collaborative practice and will curate the Documenta 15 exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 2022. American artist Theaster Gates is at No 4, followed by German visual artist Anne Imhof at No 5. The list also speaks to the art world’s inherent contradictions. While NFTs and cryptocurrencies have been criticised for their environmental impact, the past year has seen artists, curators and galleries reflect on the climate crisis and capitalism. Among these are Indigenous Australian collective Karrabing Film Collective (No8), curator Lucia Pietroiusti (13) and artist Olafur Eliasson (15). Artists whose work relates to the manifold injustices raised by the BLM movement continued to feature heavily. At No 9 is Carrie Mae Weems, whose photographs and installations address Black female subjectivity, and at 11 is Kara Walker, whose work also tackles issues of race, gender and violence. Achille Mbembe (14), Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy (16) and Koyo Kouoh (38) have all led the calls for the restitution of looted objects to their places of origin. Mark Rappolt, editor-in-chief, ArtReview, said there were “significantly fewer” western museums on the list this year, which in part reflects the reality that they are no longer driving the dialogue about contemporary art so much as reacting to it. “This may in turn reflect the slower pace of their processes or bureaucracies, but also the extent to which efforts to initiate dialogues about restitution, race and gender are coming from outside rather than within established orders,” he said. The list was compiled by 30 unnamed panellists and collaborators from around the world. Previous number-ones have included Damien Hirst, the artistic director of the Serpentine, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, and the German artist Hito Steyerl.  The Power 100 Top 10  1 ERC-721 2 Anna L Tsing 3 ruangrupa 4 Theaster Gates 5 Anne Imhof 6 Fred Moten 7 Cao Fei 8 Karrabing Film Collective 9 Carrie Mae Weems 10 David Graeber and David Wengrow
Non-fungible tokens take No 1 spot in influential art world power list
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/01/non-fungible-tokens-take-no-1-spot-in-influential-art-world-power-list
https://nypost.com/2021/11/30/inside-the-stolen-art-trade-of-nycs-upper-east-side/
Inside the stolen art trade of the Upper East Side
2021-11-30
Sara Stewart
<div><div>
	
<p>For decades, staggeringly valuable antiquities were a brisk trade in Manhattan, with posh antiques galleries lining Upper East Side avenues. </p>
<p>But that era is now screeching to a halt. “It’s a total turning point,” Ben Lewis, the British host of the podcast <a href="https://anticaproductions.com/podcasts/art-bust-scandalous-stories-of-the-art-world/">“Art Bust: Scandalous Stories of the Art World,”</a> told The Post. “We’re in a moment where owning antiquities taken from the country of origin is much less acceptable than it was just 15 years ago.” As the world moves toward a reckoning with the history of colonialism, demands for the repatriation of historical art objects stolen from poor countries and sold into rich ones are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/return-stolen-treasures-geoffrey-robertson/index.html">multiplying</a> at an unprecedented rate. </p>
<p>Lewis is quick to point out the positive side of the <em>legal</em> antiquities market. “It’s good that there’s lots of exchanges between cultures — you wouldn’t have art history unless people from one country saw art from another. That’s one of the great ways that art progresses. But that doesn’t mean it should be stolen — which a lot of stuff is.”</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://gijn.org/2021/09/20/investigating-antiquities-trafficking/">Global Investigative Journalism Network</a>, it is nearly impossible to pin down a valuation on the sprawling stolen antiquities market. But museums, galleries and private owners — many of which are located on the Upper East Side — are all facing intense scrutiny of their prized collections, particularly items with questionable or sparse documentation. According to a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/bogdanos-antiquities-new-york/620525/">recent article </a>in the Atlantic, “The enclave of old-money families along Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile is America’s worst neighborhood for antiquities crime.”</p>
<div><figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Coffin-of-Nedjemankh02-1.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>The Met Museum paid $4 million for the Coffin of Nedjemankh, which was stolen and ultimately returned to Egypt.</figcaption><figcaption>Metropolitan Museum of Art</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>One of the biggest antiquities busts was the focus of Lewis’ podcast this summer: The Met’s golden coffin of Nedjemankh, a glittering Egyptian treasure discovered to have been <a href="https://www.archaeology.org/news/7418-190219-egypt-repatriated-coffin">looted</a>. In a stranger-than-fiction development, a gold-gowned Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram a photo of herself at the 2018 Met Gala with the treasure, which led to a tip from an incensed group of looters who hadn’t been paid for their find of the coffin. That tip would <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/18/kim-kardashians-met-gala-pic-helped-solve-looted-egyptian-coffin-case/">lead to the case being solved</a>. For the episode, Lewis interviewed Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit — the man who made the bust. </p>
<p>Bogdanos, Lewis said, may be the single biggest reason the world is now paying more attention to art looting. “He’s straight out of central casting, pure Scorsese,” Lewis said of the hard-charging Bogdanos. “Ethical, passionate and he’s got an edge.” Bogdanos has made it his mission to go after the heavy hitters in the illegal antiquities trade, and he’s already been instrumental in bringing down several stolen-art traffickers, including Upper East Side <a href="https://observer.com/2021/10/antiquities-dealer-nancy-wiener-has-pled-guilty-to-charges-of-conspiracy/">gallery owners Nancy Wiener</a> and <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/looted-items-returned-india-kapoor-1234608336/">Subhash Kapoor</a>, the latter of whom is <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/28/15m-in-relics-looted-by-nyc-art-dealer-returned-to-india-prosecutors/">currently on trial in India</a> for his years of trafficking looted Asian goods. </p>
<p>Bogdanos got his start as an antiquities detective in Iraq; in 2003, as deputy director of the <a href="https://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/bogdanos.pdf">Joint Interagency Coordination Group</a>, he led a several-months-long mission to protect Iraq’s national museum from looting, and garnered a <a href="https://www.neh.gov/about/awards/national-humanities-medals/matthew-bogdanos">National Humanities Medal</a> from former President George W. Bush for his work.</p>
<figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/AP18033470632766.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>Matthew Bogdanos (right) an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, speaks with the Lebanese Culture Minister, Ghattas Khoury (left) as they stand next to the ancient sculpture “Bull’s Head” (center) during a ceremony celebrating the return of three works from the United States, at the National Museum of Beirut in Lebanon.</figcaption><figcaption>AP</figcaption></figure>
<p>Lewis said Bogdanos has been a key figure in changing the way the world looks at antiquities and their importance to their cultures of origin. Although the pillaging of valuable objects was once viewed as a “victimless crime,” Lewis said it’s anything but. He pointed out that looted antiquities have been connected to funding international terrorist organizations. The practice also destroys cultures, he said. “If you take away people’s history, you render them powerless. It’s a way to take away a national identity: You can’t build a functioning society unless that nation has ownership of its history.”</p>
<p>Lewis isn’t entirely optimistic, despite a global turn toward undoing the damage of colonization, and the restoration of stolen objects. The trafficking market continues to flourish, he said. “The Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research organization reported that in the first few months of COVID, five new Facebook trafficking groups were set up in the Middle East and one acquired 12,000 new members in one month,” he wrote in an email to The Post. “My concern is that until examples are made in US court rooms of more dealers and collectors, the market demand will remain little diminished and the looting will continue.”</p>
<p>However, he said the allure of collecting shady artifacts has been, thankfully, permanently tarnished. There was a time, said Lewis, when an amateur collector might have bragged: ” ‘Look at this authentic pre-Colombian vase I bought off some bloke in Peru!’ Now it would be like, ‘Sorry, you’re not meant to have that, actually. If the feds heard, they’d probably come and take it.’ “</p>
<h2><strong>Coffin of Nedjemankh</strong></h2>
<figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/kardashian-egyptian-coffin-0025.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>Kim Kardashian posed alongside a similarly gilded Coffin of Nedjemankh at the 2018 Met Gala.</figcaption><figcaption>Landon Nordeman/Trunk Archive</figcaption></figure>
<p>At the 2018 Met Gala, Kardashian was drawn to the glittering gold coffin of Nedjemankh, the star antiquity in the museum’s show that spring. The institution had, it was eventually alleged by Bogdanos, paid $4 million without asking too many questions about its documentation. The tomb of a high priest dating back to the first century B.C., it was found to have been dug up in the Al-Minyā region of the country during the Arab Spring, with the mummy inside unceremoniously dumped — except for a finger bone that was <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/kardashian-met-gala-egyptian-coffin">left inside the coffin</a> — not a detail that solved the case, but a shoddy oversight that, one imagines, might have caused the Met to question the coffin’s provenance. The Met was not charged with any wrongdoing, but the museum still “ignored every red flag and warning sign you could have,” said Lewis.</p>
<p>As Lewis points out, geopolitical instability often spawns looting, with criminals taking advantage of cultural chaos to make off with literal buried treasure. “Every time there’s a war in the Middle East, you get a flood of antiquities,” he said. “There was a lot in the first Iraq War, and another huge explosion in the market since the second invasion of Iraq in 2003. Then the Arab Spring, and Libya, and Syria. And there’s just so much of this stuff buried in the ground.”</p>
<h2><strong>Benin Bronzes</strong></h2>
<div><figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Benin-bronzes-01.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>In June, the Met announced it would be voluntarily returning three brass plaques from its collection to Nigeria, including this one entitled “Junior Court Official.”</figcaption><figcaption>The Metropolitan Museum of Art</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>The <a href="https://www.artnews.com/feature/benin-bronzes-explained-repatriation-british-museum-humboldt-forum-1234588588/">Benin Bronzes</a> are a group of metal plaques and sculptures, numbering in the thousands, looted from the medieval Kingdom of Benin (located in modern-day Nigeria) by British troops in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. They were subsequently dispersed across the globe, with the majority in Western Europe. </p>
<p>This June, the Met <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004859329/metropolitan-museum-of-art-sends-three-benin-bronzes-home-to-nigeria">announced</a> it would be voluntarily returning three brass plaques from its collection to Nigeria, including a 14<sup>th</sup>-century piece titled “Ife Head” and two plaques dating to the 16<sup>th</sup> century titled “Warrior Chief” and “Junior Court Official.” The latter two “entered the international art market at an unknown date and under unclear circumstances and were eventually acquired by a New York collector,” the Met said in a statement, adding that it supported the creation of the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City, still in <a href="https://www.pmi.org/most-influential-projects-2021/50-most-influential-projects-2021/edo-museum-of-west-african-art">the planning phase</a>. The Met joins other institutions in voluntarily returning their Benin Bronzes; a campaign to repatriate the collection has been in the works for many years — “since before Nigeria gained its independence” in 1960, according to <a href="https://areomagazine.com/2021/06/11/returning-the-benin-bronzes/">Areo magazine</a>. But the recent increase in calls for Western civilization to squarely face its colonialist past have galvanized the process. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art recently <a href="https://recentlyheard.com/2021/11/07/the-national-museum-of-african-art-is-returning-benin-bronzes-to-nigeria/">announced</a> it was returning its collection of Benin Bronzes, and there is <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2021/11/28/denver-art-museum-benin-bronze-nigeria/">currently </a>pressure on the Denver Art Museum to do likewise. </p>
<h2><strong>Skanda on a Peacock</strong></h2>
<div><figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Skanda-on-a-Peacock-01-1.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>“Skanda on a Peacock” ended up with a New York-based collector, who had to turn it over to the feds earlier this year.</figcaption><figcaption>Department of Justice</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>In 1997, a 10<sup>th</sup>-century sacred statue of the peacock-mounted Hindu deity Skanda, the god of war, was looted from the Cambodian temple Koh Ker, the capital of the Khmer Empire of 928-944 A.D. It was acquired by British antiquities collector and expert <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2020/08/douglas-latchford-the-man-who-pillaged-cambodia/">Douglas Latchford</a>, who wrote books about Khmer art history while simultaneously acquiring vast plundered riches, mostly from the temples of Cambodia, and selling them throughout the world – including to <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/689112/nearly-250-antiquities-repatriated-to-india/">Kapoor and Wiener</a>. (Latchford died in 2020, not long after being indicted for illegal trafficking.) Eventually, “Skanda on a Peacock” ended up with a New York-based collector. A civil complaint demanding it be forfeited by its owner <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/664041/looted-cambodian-statue-skanda-on-a-peacock-goes-home/">was filed</a> in New York on July 15 of this year. </p>
<p>It was, stunningly, a former looter who was instrumental in identifying and targeting the statue to bring it back to Cambodia. According to <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/looted-skanda-statue-cambodia-return-douglas-latchford-1234599141/#!">ArtNews</a>, “Cambodian authorities were made aware of the alleged theft . . . when an unnamed looter accompanied them to Prasat Krachap temple to show the authorities where the statue had been taken from. The looter told them that a broker, who was also unnamed in the suit, sold the work to Latchford, who then allegedly sold the work to a New York-based buyer for $1.5 million. It was then inherited by another owner, who relinquished it to U.S. authorities.” </p>
<h2><strong>Etruscan Hare</strong></h2>
<figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Etruscan-Hare-01-1.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>The Etruscan Hare was seized from the Upper East Side gallery Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd. in 2018.</figcaption><figcaption>Manhattan District Attorney's Office</figcaption></figure>
<p>A terracotta vessel in the shape of a reclining rabbit, dating back to 580 to 560 B.C., <a href="https://art-crime.blogspot.com/2018/06/seizure-etruscan-hare-aryballos-circa.html">was seized from the Upper East Side gallery</a> Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd. in 2018. The hare is described in an earlier auction as an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160425022150/http://emaxbid.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/37/lot/8216/An-Etruscan-Corinthian-pottery-figural-unguentarium-in-the-shape-of-a-hare-End-of-7th-early-6th-century-BC">Etruscan-Corinthian pottery figure</a> “from an [sic] European private collection,” and a seizure warrant was executed for it by the Manhattan D.A.’s office. Two years after the Etruscan Hare was seized, the business partners behind Fortuna Fine Arts, Erdal Dere and Faisal Khan, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/antiquities-dealers-arrested-fraud-scheme">were arrested by the FBI</a> and charged with having been involved in a multiyear scam intended “to use false provenances to offer and sell antiquities. Dere is also charged with aggravated identity theft for misappropriating the identities of deceased collectors who he pretended were the works’ former owners,” ArtNet <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/new-york-antiquities-dealers-arrested-fraud-1909899">reported</a>.</p>
<h2><strong>Shiva Nataraja</strong></h2>
<figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Shiva-Nataraja.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>This stolen bronze Shiva Nataraja sculpture, valued at $4 million, was finally recovered and displayed at NYC’s Indian consulate earlier this year.</figcaption><figcaption>AP</figcaption></figure>
<p>Art of the Past was a storied gallery on Madison Avenue and 89<sup>th</sup> Street. Its former owner, Subhash Kapoor, has now been in jail in India for nearly 10 years after raids in 2012 found more than $100 million in trafficked antiquities. One of Kapoor’s stolen treasures was the $4 million bronze <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/10/29/millions-of-dollars-in-smuggled-antiques-have-been-repatriated-to-india-as-part-of-the-investigation-into-disgraced-art-dealer-subhash-kapoor,">Shiva Nataraja statue</a> — a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the “cosmic dancer,” according to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nataraja">Britannica.com</a> — which had been listed in Kapoor’s catalogue in 2010 and 2011, and is <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/28/15m-in-relics-looted-by-nyc-art-dealer-returned-to-india-prosecutors/">alleged to have been stolen</a> from a temple in India in the 1960s. Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance said the seizure and arrest “serves as a potent reminder that individuals who maraud sacred temples in pursuit of individual profit are committing crimes not only against a country’s heritage but also its present and future.”</p>
<h2><strong>Red sandstone relief </strong></h2>
<figure><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Nancy-Weiner-sandstone-couple-.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all">
</a><figcaption>NYC gallerist Nancy Wiener pleaded guilty to trafficking stolen items, including this sandstone relief from India. </figcaption><figcaption>New York City Criminal Court.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Nancy Wiener’s eponymous 86th Street gallery was a longtime hot spot for trafficked treasures, according to prosecutors in Manhattan Criminal Court, who <a href="https://www.wbur.org/npr/506615096/gallery-owner-arrested-for-trafficking-stolen-antiquities-worth-millions-of-doll">said</a> Wiener used her gallery to “buy, smuggle, launder and sell millions of dollars’ worth of antiquities stolen from Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Pakistan and Thailand.” </p>
<p>Among the artifacts was an Indian red sandstone relief depicting a couple, dating to the second-century Kushan period, originally purchased by Wiener’s mother, Doris, who was also in the business. When the auction house Sotheby’s wouldn’t accept the documentation provided with the<strong> </strong>artwork, Nancy Wiener consigned it and other objects to Christie’s New York, which reportedly asked fewer questions about the legitimacy of the objects. According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/22/506615096/gallery-owner-arrested-for-trafficking-stolen-antiquities-worth-millions-of-doll">NPR</a>, “Christie’s did not ask for extensive documentation about where the Wieners acquired the art and sold the entire lot in 2012 for $12.7 million.” </p>
<p>Nancy eventually <a href="https://observer.com/2021/10/antiquities-dealer-nancy-wiener-has-pled-guilty-to-charges-of-conspiracy/">pleaded guilty</a> to trafficking looted items, stating in Manhattan Supreme Court that “for decades I conducted business in a market where buying and selling antiquities with vague or even no provenance was the norm. Obfuscation and silence were accepted responses to questions concerning the source from which an object had been obtained. In short, it was a conspiracy of the willing.”</p>
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 Inside the stolen art trade of the Upper East Side

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 November 30, 2021 7:41pm
 Updated
 November 30, 2021 7:41pm

 Kim Kardashian (center) inadvertently brought attention to the shady world of plundered artifacts when she posed with the Coffin of Nedjemankh at the 2018 Met Gala. Other stolen pieces include Skanda on a Peacock (right), a red sandstone relief (top left) and the Benin Bronzes. NY Post photo composite

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 For decades, staggeringly valuable antiquities were a brisk trade in Manhattan, with posh antiques galleries lining Upper East Side avenues.

 But that era is now screeching to a halt. “It’s a total turning point,” Ben Lewis, the British host of the podcast “Art Bust: Scandalous Stories of the Art World,” told The Post. “We’re in a moment where owning antiquities taken from the country of origin is much less acceptable than it was just 15 years ago.” As the world moves toward a reckoning with the history of colonialism, demands for the repatriation of historical art objects stolen from poor countries and sold into rich ones are multiplying at an unprecedented rate.

 Lewis is quick to point out the positive side of the legal antiquities market. “It’s good that there’s lots of exchanges between cultures — you wouldn’t have art history unless people from one country saw art from another. That’s one of the great ways that art progresses. But that doesn’t mean it should be stolen — which a lot of stuff is.”

 According to the Global Investigative Journalism Network, it is nearly impossible to pin down a valuation on the sprawling stolen antiquities market. But museums, galleries and private owners — many of which are located on the Upper East Side — are all facing intense scrutiny of their prized collections, particularly items with questionable or sparse documentation. According to a recent article in the Atlantic, “The enclave of old-money families along Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile is America’s worst neighborhood for antiquities crime.”

 The Met Museum paid $4 million for the Coffin of Nedjemankh, which was stolen and ultimately returned to Egypt.

 Metropolitan Museum of Art

 One of the biggest antiquities busts was the focus of Lewis’ podcast this summer: The Met’s golden coffin of Nedjemankh, a glittering Egyptian treasure discovered to have been looted. In a stranger-than-fiction development, a gold-gowned Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram a photo of herself at the 2018 Met Gala with the treasure, which led to a tip from an incensed group of looters who hadn’t been paid for their find of the coffin. That tip would lead to the case being solved. For the episode, Lewis interviewed Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit — the man who made the bust.

 Bogdanos, Lewis said, may be the single biggest reason the world is now paying more attention to art looting. “He’s straight out of central casting, pure Scorsese,” Lewis said of the hard-charging Bogdanos. “Ethical, passionate and he’s got an edge.” Bogdanos has made it his mission to go after the heavy hitters in the illegal antiquities trade, and he’s already been instrumental in bringing down several stolen-art traffickers, including Upper East Side gallery owners Nancy Wiener and Subhash Kapoor, the latter of whom is currently on trial in India for his years of trafficking looted Asian goods.

 Bogdanos got his start as an antiquities detective in Iraq; in 2003, as deputy director of the Joint Interagency Coordination Group, he led a several-months-long mission to protect Iraq’s national museum from looting, and garnered a National Humanities Medal from former President George W. Bush for his work.

 Matthew Bogdanos (right) an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, speaks with the Lebanese Culture Minister, Ghattas Khoury (left) as they stand next to the ancient sculpture “Bull’s Head” (center) during a ceremony celebrating the return of three works from the United States, at the National Museum of Beirut in Lebanon.

 AP

 see also

 2,000-year-old Roman artifact used as coffee table for 50 years

 Lewis said Bogdanos has been a key figure in changing the way the world looks at antiquities and their importance to their cultures of origin. Although the pillaging of valuable objects was once viewed as a “victimless crime,” Lewis said it’s anything but. He pointed out that looted antiquities have been connected to funding international terrorist organizations. The practice also destroys cultures, he said. “If you take away people’s history, you render them powerless. It’s a way to take away a national identity: You can’t build a functioning society unless that nation has ownership of its history.”

 Lewis isn’t entirely optimistic, despite a global turn toward undoing the damage of colonization, and the restoration of stolen objects. The trafficking market continues to flourish, he said. “The Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research organization reported that in the first few months of COVID, five new Facebook trafficking groups were set up in the Middle East and one acquired 12,000 new members in one month,” he wrote in an email to The Post. “My concern is that until examples are made in US court rooms of more dealers and collectors, the market demand will remain little diminished and the looting will continue.”

 However, he said the allure of collecting shady artifacts has been, thankfully, permanently tarnished. There was a time, said Lewis, when an amateur collector might have bragged: ” ‘Look at this authentic pre-Colombian vase I bought off some bloke in Peru!’ Now it would be like, ‘Sorry, you’re not meant to have that, actually. If the feds heard, they’d probably come and take it.’ “

 Coffin of Nedjemankh

 Kim Kardashian posed alongside a similarly gilded Coffin of Nedjemankh at the 2018 Met Gala.

 Landon Nordeman/Trunk Archive

 At the 2018 Met Gala, Kardashian was drawn to the glittering gold coffin of Nedjemankh, the star antiquity in the museum’s show that spring. The institution had, it was eventually alleged by Bogdanos, paid $4 million without asking too many questions about its documentation. The tomb of a high priest dating back to the first century B.C., it was found to have been dug up in the Al-Minyā region of the country during the Arab Spring, with the mummy inside unceremoniously dumped — except for a finger bone that was left inside the coffin — not a detail that solved the case, but a shoddy oversight that, one imagines, might have caused the Met to question the coffin’s provenance. The Met was not charged with any wrongdoing, but the museum still “ignored every red flag and warning sign you could have,” said Lewis.

 As Lewis points out, geopolitical instability often spawns looting, with criminals taking advantage of cultural chaos to make off with literal buried treasure. “Every time there’s a war in the Middle East, you get a flood of antiquities,” he said. “There was a lot in the first Iraq War, and another huge explosion in the market since the second invasion of Iraq in 2003. Then the Arab Spring, and Libya, and Syria. And there’s just so much of this stuff buried in the ground.”

 Benin Bronzes

 In June, the Met announced it would be voluntarily returning three brass plaques from its collection to Nigeria, including this one entitled “Junior Court Official.”

 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 The Benin Bronzes are a group of metal plaques and sculptures, numbering in the thousands, looted from the medieval Kingdom of Benin (located in modern-day Nigeria) by British troops in the 19th century. They were subsequently dispersed across the globe, with the majority in Western Europe.

 This June, the Met announced it would be voluntarily returning three brass plaques from its collection to Nigeria, including a 14th-century piece titled “Ife Head” and two plaques dating to the 16th century titled “Warrior Chief” and “Junior Court Official.” The latter two “entered the international art market at an unknown date and under unclear circumstances and were eventually acquired by a New York collector,” the Met said in a statement, adding that it supported the creation of the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City, still in the planning phase. The Met joins other institutions in voluntarily returning their Benin Bronzes; a campaign to repatriate the collection has been in the works for many years — “since before Nigeria gained its independence” in 1960, according to Areo magazine. But the recent increase in calls for Western civilization to squarely face its colonialist past have galvanized the process. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art recently announced it was returning its collection of Benin Bronzes, and there is currently pressure on the Denver Art Museum to do likewise.

 Skanda on a Peacock

 “Skanda on a Peacock” ended up with a New York-based collector, who had to turn it over to the feds earlier this year.

 Department of Justice

 In 1997, a 10th-century sacred statue of the peacock-mounted Hindu deity Skanda, the god of war, was looted from the Cambodian temple Koh Ker, the capital of the Khmer Empire of 928-944 A.D. It was acquired by British antiquities collector and expert Douglas Latchford, who wrote books about Khmer art history while simultaneously acquiring vast plundered riches, mostly from the temples of Cambodia, and selling them throughout the world – including to Kapoor and Wiener. (Latchford died in 2020, not long after being indicted for illegal trafficking.) Eventually, “Skanda on a Peacock” ended up with a New York-based collector. A civil complaint demanding it be forfeited by its owner was filed in New York on July 15 of this year.

 It was, stunningly, a former looter who was instrumental in identifying and targeting the statue to bring it back to Cambodia. According to ArtNews, “Cambodian authorities were made aware of the alleged theft . . . when an unnamed looter accompanied them to Prasat Krachap temple to show the authorities where the statue had been taken from. The looter told them that a broker, who was also unnamed in the suit, sold the work to Latchford, who then allegedly sold the work to a New York-based buyer for $1.5 million. It was then inherited by another owner, who relinquished it to U.S. authorities.”

 Etruscan Hare

 The Etruscan Hare was seized from the Upper East Side gallery Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd. in 2018.

 Manhattan District Attorney's Office

 A terracotta vessel in the shape of a reclining rabbit, dating back to 580 to 560 B.C., was seized from the Upper East Side gallery Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd. in 2018. The hare is described in an earlier auction as an Etruscan-Corinthian pottery figure “from an [sic] European private collection,” and a seizure warrant was executed for it by the Manhattan D.A.’s office. Two years after the Etruscan Hare was seized, the business partners behind Fortuna Fine Arts, Erdal Dere and Faisal Khan, were arrested by the FBI and charged with having been involved in a multiyear scam intended “to use false provenances to offer and sell antiquities. Dere is also charged with aggravated identity theft for misappropriating the identities of deceased collectors who he pretended were the works’ former owners,” ArtNet reported.

 Shiva Nataraja

 This stolen bronze Shiva Nataraja sculpture, valued at $4 million, was finally recovered and displayed at NYC’s Indian consulate earlier this year.

 AP

 Art of the Past was a storied gallery on Madison Avenue and 89th Street. Its former owner, Subhash Kapoor, has now been in jail in India for nearly 10 years after raids in 2012 found more than $100 million in trafficked antiquities. One of Kapoor’s stolen treasures was the $4 million bronze Shiva Nataraja statue — a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the “cosmic dancer,” according to Britannica.com — which had been listed in Kapoor’s catalogue in 2010 and 2011, and is alleged to have been stolen from a temple in India in the 1960s. Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance said the seizure and arrest “serves as a potent reminder that individuals who maraud sacred temples in pursuit of individual profit are committing crimes not only against a country’s heritage but also its present and future.”

 Red sandstone relief

 NYC gallerist Nancy Wiener pleaded guilty to trafficking stolen items, including this sandstone relief from India.

 New York City Criminal Court.

 Nancy Wiener’s eponymous 86th Street gallery was a longtime hot spot for trafficked treasures, according to prosecutors in Manhattan Criminal Court, who said Wiener used her gallery to “buy, smuggle, launder and sell millions of dollars’ worth of antiquities stolen from Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Pakistan and Thailand.”

 Among the artifacts was an Indian red sandstone relief depicting a couple, dating to the second-century Kushan period, originally purchased by Wiener’s mother, Doris, who was also in the business. When the auction house Sotheby’s wouldn’t accept the documentation provided with the artwork, Nancy Wiener consigned it and other objects to Christie’s New York, which reportedly asked fewer questions about the legitimacy of the objects. According to NPR, “Christie’s did not ask for extensive documentation about where the Wieners acquired the art and sold the entire lot in 2012 for $12.7 million.”

 Nancy eventually pleaded guilty to trafficking looted items, stating in Manhattan Supreme Court that “for decades I conducted business in a market where buying and selling antiquities with vague or even no provenance was the norm. Obfuscation and silence were accepted responses to questions concerning the source from which an object had been obtained. In short, it was a conspiracy of the willing.”

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For decades, staggeringly valuable antiquities were a brisk trade in Manhattan, with posh antiques galleries lining Upper East Side avenues. 
But that era is now screeching to a halt. “It’s a total turning point,” Ben Lewis, the British host of the podcast “Art Bust: Scandalous Stories of the Art World,” told The Post. “We’re in a moment where owning antiquities taken from the country of origin is much less acceptable than it was just 15 years ago.” As the world moves toward a reckoning with the history of colonialism, demands for the repatriation of historical art objects stolen from poor countries and sold into rich ones are multiplying at an unprecedented rate. 
Lewis is quick to point out the positive side of the legal antiquities market. “It’s good that there’s lots of exchanges between cultures — you wouldn’t have art history unless people from one country saw art from another. That’s one of the great ways that art progresses. But that doesn’t mean it should be stolen — which a lot of stuff is.”
According to the Global Investigative Journalism Network, it is nearly impossible to pin down a valuation on the sprawling stolen antiquities market. But museums, galleries and private owners — many of which are located on the Upper East Side — are all facing intense scrutiny of their prized collections, particularly items with questionable or sparse documentation. According to a recent article in the Atlantic, “The enclave of old-money families along Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile is America’s worst neighborhood for antiquities crime.”
  
 The Met Museum paid $4 million for the Coffin of Nedjemankh, which was stolen and ultimately returned to Egypt. Metropolitan Museum of Art  
One of the biggest antiquities busts was the focus of Lewis’ podcast this summer: The Met’s golden coffin of Nedjemankh, a glittering Egyptian treasure discovered to have been looted. In a stranger-than-fiction development, a gold-gowned Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram a photo of herself at the 2018 Met Gala with the treasure, which led to a tip from an incensed group of looters who hadn’t been paid for their find of the coffin. That tip would lead to the case being solved. For the episode, Lewis interviewed Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit — the man who made the bust. 
Bogdanos, Lewis said, may be the single biggest reason the world is now paying more attention to art looting. “He’s straight out of central casting, pure Scorsese,” Lewis said of the hard-charging Bogdanos. “Ethical, passionate and he’s got an edge.” Bogdanos has made it his mission to go after the heavy hitters in the illegal antiquities trade, and he’s already been instrumental in bringing down several stolen-art traffickers, including Upper East Side gallery owners Nancy Wiener and Subhash Kapoor, the latter of whom is currently on trial in India for his years of trafficking looted Asian goods. 
Bogdanos got his start as an antiquities detective in Iraq; in 2003, as deputy director of the Joint Interagency Coordination Group, he led a several-months-long mission to protect Iraq’s national museum from looting, and garnered a National Humanities Medal from former President George W. Bush for his work.
 
 Matthew Bogdanos (right) an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, speaks with the Lebanese Culture Minister, Ghattas Khoury (left) as they stand next to the ancient sculpture “Bull’s Head” (center) during a ceremony celebrating the return of three works from the United States, at the National Museum of Beirut in Lebanon. AP 
Lewis said Bogdanos has been a key figure in changing the way the world looks at antiquities and their importance to their cultures of origin. Although the pillaging of valuable objects was once viewed as a “victimless crime,” Lewis said it’s anything but. He pointed out that looted antiquities have been connected to funding international terrorist organizations. The practice also destroys cultures, he said. “If you take away people’s history, you render them powerless. It’s a way to take away a national identity: You can’t build a functioning society unless that nation has ownership of its history.”
Lewis isn’t entirely optimistic, despite a global turn toward undoing the damage of colonization, and the restoration of stolen objects. The trafficking market continues to flourish, he said. “The Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research organization reported that in the first few months of COVID, five new Facebook trafficking groups were set up in the Middle East and one acquired 12,000 new members in one month,” he wrote in an email to The Post. “My concern is that until examples are made in US court rooms of more dealers and collectors, the market demand will remain little diminished and the looting will continue.”
However, he said the allure of collecting shady artifacts has been, thankfully, permanently tarnished. There was a time, said Lewis, when an amateur collector might have bragged: ” ‘Look at this authentic pre-Colombian vase I bought off some bloke in Peru!’ Now it would be like, ‘Sorry, you’re not meant to have that, actually. If the feds heard, they’d probably come and take it.’ “
 Coffin of Nedjemankh 
 
 Kim Kardashian posed alongside a similarly gilded Coffin of Nedjemankh at the 2018 Met Gala. Landon Nordeman/Trunk Archive 
At the 2018 Met Gala, Kardashian was drawn to the glittering gold coffin of Nedjemankh, the star antiquity in the museum’s show that spring. The institution had, it was eventually alleged by Bogdanos, paid $4 million without asking too many questions about its documentation. The tomb of a high priest dating back to the first century B.C., it was found to have been dug up in the Al-Minyā region of the country during the Arab Spring, with the mummy inside unceremoniously dumped — except for a finger bone that was left inside the coffin — not a detail that solved the case, but a shoddy oversight that, one imagines, might have caused the Met to question the coffin’s provenance. The Met was not charged with any wrongdoing, but the museum still “ignored every red flag and warning sign you could have,” said Lewis.
As Lewis points out, geopolitical instability often spawns looting, with criminals taking advantage of cultural chaos to make off with literal buried treasure. “Every time there’s a war in the Middle East, you get a flood of antiquities,” he said. “There was a lot in the first Iraq War, and another huge explosion in the market since the second invasion of Iraq in 2003. Then the Arab Spring, and Libya, and Syria. And there’s just so much of this stuff buried in the ground.”
 Benin Bronzes 
  
 In June, the Met announced it would be voluntarily returning three brass plaques from its collection to Nigeria, including this one entitled “Junior Court Official.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art  
The Benin Bronzes are a group of metal plaques and sculptures, numbering in the thousands, looted from the medieval Kingdom of Benin (located in modern-day Nigeria) by British troops in the 19th century. They were subsequently dispersed across the globe, with the majority in Western Europe. 
This June, the Met announced it would be voluntarily returning three brass plaques from its collection to Nigeria, including a 14th-century piece titled “Ife Head” and two plaques dating to the 16th century titled “Warrior Chief” and “Junior Court Official.” The latter two “entered the international art market at an unknown date and under unclear circumstances and were eventually acquired by a New York collector,” the Met said in a statement, adding that it supported the creation of the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City, still in the planning phase. The Met joins other institutions in voluntarily returning their Benin Bronzes; a campaign to repatriate the collection has been in the works for many years — “since before Nigeria gained its independence” in 1960, according to Areo magazine. But the recent increase in calls for Western civilization to squarely face its colonialist past have galvanized the process. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art recently announced it was returning its collection of Benin Bronzes, and there is currently pressure on the Denver Art Museum to do likewise. 
 Skanda on a Peacock 
  
 “Skanda on a Peacock” ended up with a New York-based collector, who had to turn it over to the feds earlier this year. Department of Justice  
In 1997, a 10th-century sacred statue of the peacock-mounted Hindu deity Skanda, the god of war, was looted from the Cambodian temple Koh Ker, the capital of the Khmer Empire of 928-944 A.D. It was acquired by British antiquities collector and expert Douglas Latchford, who wrote books about Khmer art history while simultaneously acquiring vast plundered riches, mostly from the temples of Cambodia, and selling them throughout the world – including to Kapoor and Wiener. (Latchford died in 2020, not long after being indicted for illegal trafficking.) Eventually, “Skanda on a Peacock” ended up with a New York-based collector. A civil complaint demanding it be forfeited by its owner was filed in New York on July 15 of this year. 
It was, stunningly, a former looter who was instrumental in identifying and targeting the statue to bring it back to Cambodia. According to ArtNews, “Cambodian authorities were made aware of the alleged theft . . . when an unnamed looter accompanied them to Prasat Krachap temple to show the authorities where the statue had been taken from. The looter told them that a broker, who was also unnamed in the suit, sold the work to Latchford, who then allegedly sold the work to a New York-based buyer for $1.5 million. It was then inherited by another owner, who relinquished it to U.S. authorities.” 
 Etruscan Hare 
 
 The Etruscan Hare was seized from the Upper East Side gallery Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd. in 2018. Manhattan District Attorney's Office 
A terracotta vessel in the shape of a reclining rabbit, dating back to 580 to 560 B.C., was seized from the Upper East Side gallery Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd. in 2018. The hare is described in an earlier auction as an Etruscan-Corinthian pottery figure “from an [sic] European private collection,” and a seizure warrant was executed for it by the Manhattan D.A.’s office. Two years after the Etruscan Hare was seized, the business partners behind Fortuna Fine Arts, Erdal Dere and Faisal Khan, were arrested by the FBI and charged with having been involved in a multiyear scam intended “to use false provenances to offer and sell antiquities. Dere is also charged with aggravated identity theft for misappropriating the identities of deceased collectors who he pretended were the works’ former owners,” ArtNet reported.
 Shiva Nataraja 
 
 This stolen bronze Shiva Nataraja sculpture, valued at $4 million, was finally recovered and displayed at NYC’s Indian consulate earlier this year. AP 
Art of the Past was a storied gallery on Madison Avenue and 89th Street. Its former owner, Subhash Kapoor, has now been in jail in India for nearly 10 years after raids in 2012 found more than $100 million in trafficked antiquities. One of Kapoor’s stolen treasures was the $4 million bronze Shiva Nataraja statue — a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the “cosmic dancer,” according to Britannica.com — which had been listed in Kapoor’s catalogue in 2010 and 2011, and is alleged to have been stolen from a temple in India in the 1960s. Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance said the seizure and arrest “serves as a potent reminder that individuals who maraud sacred temples in pursuit of individual profit are committing crimes not only against a country’s heritage but also its present and future.”
 Red sandstone relief  
 
 NYC gallerist Nancy Wiener pleaded guilty to trafficking stolen items, including this sandstone relief from India.  New York City Criminal Court. 
Nancy Wiener’s eponymous 86th Street gallery was a longtime hot spot for trafficked treasures, according to prosecutors in Manhattan Criminal Court, who said Wiener used her gallery to “buy, smuggle, launder and sell millions of dollars’ worth of antiquities stolen from Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Pakistan and Thailand.” 
Among the artifacts was an Indian red sandstone relief depicting a couple, dating to the second-century Kushan period, originally purchased by Wiener’s mother, Doris, who was also in the business. When the auction house Sotheby’s wouldn’t accept the documentation provided with the artwork, Nancy Wiener consigned it and other objects to Christie’s New York, which reportedly asked fewer questions about the legitimacy of the objects. According to NPR, “Christie’s did not ask for extensive documentation about where the Wieners acquired the art and sold the entire lot in 2012 for $12.7 million.” 
Nancy eventually pleaded guilty to trafficking looted items, stating in Manhattan Supreme Court that “for decades I conducted business in a market where buying and selling antiquities with vague or even no provenance was the norm. Obfuscation and silence were accepted responses to questions concerning the source from which an object had been obtained. In short, it was a conspiracy of the willing.”
Inside the stolen art trade of the Upper East Side
https://nypost.com/2021/11/30/inside-the-stolen-art-trade-of-nycs-upper-east-side/
<div><div><div><p><span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/design">Art &amp; Design</a></span><span>|</span><span>With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing</span></p><div><p><span>https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/arts/design/met-museum-modern-wing-gift.html</span></p></div></div><article><div><nav><ul><li><span>U.S.</span></li><li><span>World</span></li><li><span>Business</span></li><li><span>Arts</span></li><li><span>Lifestyle</span></li><li><span>Opinion</span></li><li><span>Audio</span></li><li><span>Games</span></li><li><span>Cooking</span></li><li><span>Wirecutter</span></li><li><span>The Athletic</span></li></ul></nav></div><div><p>Advertisement</p><p><a href="#after-top">SKIP ADVERTISEMENT</a></p></div><div><p>You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.</p></div><header><p>The donation from a trustee, Oscar L. Tang, and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, reinvigorates the long-delayed project and is the largest capital gift in the Met’s history.</p><div><figure><div></div><figcaption><span>Oscar Tang, a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Agnes Hsu-Tang, his wife, made a game-changing gift that will help build a long-sought Modern and contemporary art wing and provide a home for Leonard Lauder’s Cubism collection.</span><span><span>Credit...</span><span><span>Eileen Travell/Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></span></span></figcaption></figure></div></header><section><div><p>Seven years after <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/arts/design/in-mets-future-a-redesigned-modern-art-wing.html">announcing ambitious plans</a> to rebuild its wing for Modern and contemporary art — which then had to be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/arts/design/the-metropolitan-museum-will-delay-a-new-600-million-wing.html">put on hold</a> because of financial problems — the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/topic/organization/metropolitan-museum-of-art">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> on Tuesday announced that it had finally secured a lead donation of $125 million, the largest capital gift in its history, from its longtime trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, an archaeologist and art historian. The wing will be named after them for a minimum of 50 years.</p><p>“It is coming from within the Met,” said the museum’s director, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/arts/design/metropolitan-museum-max-hollein.html">Max Hollein</a>, in a telephone interview. “It shows the confidence the museum has in this very important project.”</p><p>With their donation, the Tangs join a rarefied group of philanthropists who have made game-changing gifts of $100 million or more to underwrite cultural building projects (and secure naming rights). These include the oil-and-gas billionaire <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/arts/10linc.html">David H. Koch</a>, benefactor of New York City Ballet’s renovated Lincoln Center home, in 2008; the private equity billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/arts/design/11expa.html?pagewanted=all">the New York Public Library</a>, in 2008, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/arts/design/stephen-a-schwarzmangives-150-million-for-yale-cultural-hub.html">a new cultural center at Yale</a>, in 2015; and the entertainment mogul David Geffen, whose 2015 gift went toward the gut renovation of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/arts/david-geffen-captures-naming-rights-to-avery-fisher-hall-with-donation.html">former Avery Fisher Hall</a>.</p><p>The gift represents an important leap forward for the Met project, which is now expected to cost about $500 million and calls for creating 80,000 square feet of galleries and public space with an architect to be announced this winter. An earlier design by David Chipperfield had ballooned in price to as much as $800 million.</p></div><div><p>While the Met still has to raise the remainder of the money, Daniel H. Weiss, the museum’s president and chief executive, said that “we’re not concerned.”</p><p>“We know what it’s going to cost more or less to build it, to staff it,” he continued. “Our finances are very stable.”</p><div><div><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and <a href="https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F11%2F30%2Farts%2Fdesign%2Fmet-museum-modern-wing-gift.html&amp;asset=opttrunc">log into</a> your Times account, or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F11%2F30%2Farts%2Fdesign%2Fmet-museum-modern-wing-gift.html">subscribe</a> for all of The Times.</p><hr/></div><div><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access.</p><p>Already a subscriber? <a href="https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F11%2F30%2Farts%2Fdesign%2Fmet-museum-modern-wing-gift.html&amp;asset=opttrunc">Log in</a>.</p><p>Want all of The Times? <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F11%2F30%2Farts%2Fdesign%2Fmet-museum-modern-wing-gift.html">Subscribe</a>.</p></div></div></div></section><div><p>Advertisement</p><p><a href="#after-bottom">SKIP ADVERTISEMENT</a></p></div></article></div></div>||||I||||            Skip to contentSkip to site index
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                Art & Design | With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing
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            With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing

          The donation from a trustee, Oscar L. Tang, and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, reinvigorates the long-delayed project and is the largest capital gift in the Met’s history.

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            Oscar Tang, a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Agnes Hsu-Tang, his wife, made a game-changing gift that will help build a long-sought Modern and contemporary art wing and provide a home for Leonard Lauder’s Cubism collection. Credit... Eileen Travell/Metropolitan Museum of Art

                By Robin Pogrebin

              Nov. 30, 2021

              Seven years after announcing ambitious plans to rebuild its wing for Modern and contemporary art — which then had to be put on hold because of financial problems — the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday announced that it had finally secured a lead donation of $125 million, the largest capital gift in its history, from its longtime trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, an archaeologist and art historian. The wing will be named after them for a minimum of 50 years.

              “It is coming from within the Met,” said the museum’s director, Max Hollein, in a telephone interview. “It shows the confidence the museum has in this very important project.”

              With their donation, the Tangs join a rarefied group of philanthropists who have made game-changing gifts of $100 million or more to underwrite cultural building projects (and secure naming rights). These include the oil-and-gas billionaire David H. Koch, benefactor of New York City Ballet’s renovated Lincoln Center home, in 2008; the private equity billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, for the New York Public Library, in 2008, and a new cultural center at Yale, in 2015; and the entertainment mogul David Geffen, whose 2015 gift went toward the gut renovation of the former Avery Fisher Hall.

              The gift represents an important leap forward for the Met project, which is now expected to cost about $500 million and calls for creating 80,000 square feet of galleries and public space with an architect to be announced this winter. An earlier design by David Chipperfield had ballooned in price to as much as $800 million.

              While the Met still has to raise the remainder of the money, Daniel H. Weiss, the museum’s president and chief executive, said that “we’re not concerned.”

              “We know what it’s going to cost more or less to build it, to staff it,” he continued. “Our finances are very stable.”

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                Art & Design | With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing
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            With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing
          The donation from a trustee, Oscar L. Tang, and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, reinvigorates the long-delayed project and is the largest capital gift in the Met’s history.
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            Oscar Tang, a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Agnes Hsu-Tang, his wife, made a game-changing gift that will help build a long-sought Modern and contemporary art wing and provide a home for Leonard Lauder’s Cubism collection. Credit... Eileen Travell/Metropolitan Museum of Art
                By Robin Pogrebin
              Nov. 30, 2021
              Seven years after announcing ambitious plans to rebuild its wing for Modern and contemporary art — which then had to be put on hold because of financial problems — the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday announced that it had finally secured a lead donation of $125 million, the largest capital gift in its history, from its longtime trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, an archaeologist and art historian. The wing will be named after them for a minimum of 50 years.
              “It is coming from within the Met,” said the museum’s director, Max Hollein, in a telephone interview. “It shows the confidence the museum has in this very important project.”
              With their donation, the Tangs join a rarefied group of philanthropists who have made game-changing gifts of $100 million or more to underwrite cultural building projects (and secure naming rights). These include the oil-and-gas billionaire David H. Koch, benefactor of New York City Ballet’s renovated Lincoln Center home, in 2008; the private equity billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, for the New York Public Library, in 2008, and a new cultural center at Yale, in 2015; and the entertainment mogul David Geffen, whose 2015 gift went toward the gut renovation of the former Avery Fisher Hall.
              The gift represents an important leap forward for the Met project, which is now expected to cost about $500 million and calls for creating 80,000 square feet of galleries and public space with an architect to be announced this winter. An earlier design by David Chipperfield had ballooned in price to as much as $800 million.
              While the Met still has to raise the remainder of the money, Daniel H. Weiss, the museum’s president and chief executive, said that “we’re not concerned.”
              “We know what it’s going to cost more or less to build it, to staff it,” he continued. “Our finances are very stable.”
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With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing (Published 2021)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/arts/design/met-museum-modern-wing-gift.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/27/stephen-sondheim-songs-life-more-real/
Opinion | Stephen Sondheim made art that made life more real
2021-11-27
Alexandra Petri
<div><div><div><p>Writing a song might as well be impossible. Stephen Sondheim knew this perhaps better than anyone.</p><p>“A song exists in time,” <a href="https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C2322351">explained</a> the musical theater composer and lyricist, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/stephen-sondheim-central-figure-in-american-musical-theater-dies-at-91/2021/11/26/939fea1c-4f06-11ec-b0b0-766bbbe79347_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_3">who died Nov. 26</a>. It is not like a poem you can stop and start and read at any pace you like and return to if you fail to grasp its meaning the first time. A song is delivered in time, and it has only as long as it lasts to tell you what it is trying to say, whether you hear it or not.</p></div><p>It can’t be too clever, and it can’t be too dull. It has to land on your ear as a surprise. If it contains jokes, they have to rhyme. (If it contains rhymes, words that are <a href="https://twitter.com/sondheimlyrics/status/1163440433344548871?lang=en">spelled differently</a> are funnier, Sondheim thought, than words that are spelled the same.) And it doesn’t hurt if it’s hummable.</p><p>The song has to take the character singing it somewhere. It has to be essential to the show. “If you can take the song out," Sondheim said, "and it doesn’t leave a hole, then the song’s not necessary.” If this all sounds impossible, I can assure you (as someone who has been trying with variable success to write musical theater as long as I’ve known what it was and will keep trying until they take all the pens away), it’s even harder.</p><p>Sondheim made it look possible. Not just possible; easy. He created indelible songs and lyrics that both function perfectly in the shows they call home — a breathtaking panoply from his first lyric-writing hit, “West Side Story,” to “Gypsy" to “Company” to “Into the Woods” to “Assassins” to “Sweeney Todd” — and work outside them. He married form and content so effortlessly that the songs feel found rather than made, like the only possible way of expressing the thoughts they contain. Love is overwhelming and silly and as simple as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3C4-9i42v4">“Maria! Maria! Maria! Maria!”</a></p><div><p><strong>Follow</strong> Alexandra Petri's opinionsFollow</p></div><p>Of course, theater, especially musical theater, is an art form that’s highly artificial. People do not, it is often snidely observed, burst out into song in the middle of actual life. But this artifice is in service of a higher truth: The way we actually experience life is muddled and ambivalent and full of stops and starts and revelations that come too soon or too late. Sometimes words come to you before the meaning behind them fills in. (Sometimes, for instance, your high school puts on “Company”; you may be working very hard to be disillusioned, but you are 17.)</p><p>A lot of musical theater, especially Sondheim’s, takes advantage of the artificiality of the form to occupy the spaces we move through too quickly. Many of Sondheim’s most poignant songs show people <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAGONVc4HAw">standing apart from life</a> to contemplate it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGfsC7rc9ic">Cinderella dithering</a> on the steps of the palace, or a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrRDrz53Q1E">bride-to-be wavering</a> on the verge of commitment. The songs that make the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBPKedba5o">most exciting case for life</a> are sung by people who aren’t quite living it.</p><p>People, Sondheim included, are always trying to set up this dichotomy between art and life. Yeats <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ytc8AAAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA1&amp;lpg=PA1&amp;dq=%E2%80%9CThe+intellect+of+man+is+forced+to+choose+perfection+of+the+life+or+of+the+work.%E2%80%9D&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=82wHtjNoFE&amp;sig=ACfU3U09SNGDEh74qTWjLxOHE3BbDYUKJQ&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjduPGOubn0AhUFp3IEHR0gDiQQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&amp;q=%E2%80%9CThe%20intellect%20of%20man%20is%20forced%20to%20choose%20perfection%20of%20the%20life%20or%20of%20the%20work.%E2%80%9D&amp;f=false">railed</a>, “The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life or of the work.” In his own work “Sunday in the Park With George,” Sondheim set up attention to craft as something in contrast to and separated from life itself. The pointillist painter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ducG55pfCMQ">Georges Seurat sings</a>:</p><div><blockquote><p>They have never understood,</p><p>And no reason that they should,</p><p>But if anybody could, finishing the hat.</p><p>How you have to finish the hat.</p><p>How you watch the rest of the world</p><p>From a window while you finish the hat.</p></blockquote></div><p>But surely Sondheim knew better than anyone that life and art are not separate; we need art to give life back to us, to give us words for the water we’re moving through. Words for the in-between places, when you’re stuck in a moment of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOPXo8PmdYs">indecision </a>or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzA97oMW2_M">hesitation </a>or just wishing it were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBF5KO4iuK4">possible to have </a>“your mother at the door, the roof, the house and the world you never thought to explore.”</p><p>Coming up with the right words, words that can be heard, words that are essential — this isn’t something different from life. This is the thing that makes life worth it. Sondheim must have known that he wasn’t watching the rest of the world from a window; he was opening a window for the rest of us.</p><p>Life also exists in time. You cannot stop it and start it and go back and hope to make yourself better understood. You must express yourself in the moments allotted and make yourself heard and choose what to say.</p><p>If you are lucky, and a genius, it will also be hummable.</p><div><figure><figcaption><p>Fans standing outside of the Broadway theater named after Stephen Sondheim celebrated his contribution to American musical theater on Nov. 26. (Video: Reuters)</p></figcaption></figure></div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/26/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-senate-worst-monopoly/?itid=co_opculture_1"><div><p>Opinion|Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift debacle was so bad it united the parties</p></div></a><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/26/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-senate-worst-monopoly/?itid=co_opculture_1"><figure></figure><div><p>Opinion|Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift debacle was so bad it united the parties</p></div></a></li><li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/25/mandms-super-bowl-ad-tucker-carlson/?itid=co_opculture_2"><div><p>Opinion|M&amp;M’s accept Tucker Carlson’s invite to the culture wars</p></div></a><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/25/mandms-super-bowl-ad-tucker-carlson/?itid=co_opculture_2"><figure></figure><div><p>Opinion|M&amp;M’s accept Tucker Carlson’s invite to the culture wars</p></div></a></li><li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/25/rust-movie-shooting-guns/?itid=co_opculture_3"><div><p>Opinion|The ‘Rust’ movie shooting should never have happened</p></div></a><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/25/rust-movie-shooting-guns/?itid=co_opculture_3"><figure></figure><div><p>Opinion|The ‘Rust’ movie shooting should never have happened</p></div></a></li></ul></div></div>||||I|||| Accessibility statementSkip to main content
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 Stephen Sondheim made art that made life more real

 By Alexandra Petri
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 November 27, 2021 at 4:09 p.m. EST

 Stephen Sondheim in Medford, Mass., on April 12, 2004. (CHARLES KRUPA/AP)

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 Writing a song might as well be impossible. Stephen Sondheim knew this perhaps better than anyone.

 “A song exists in time,” explained the musical theater composer and lyricist, who died Nov. 26. It is not like a poem you can stop and start and read at any pace you like and return to if you fail to grasp its meaning the first time. A song is delivered in time, and it has only as long as it lasts to tell you what it is trying to say, whether you hear it or not.

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 It can’t be too clever, and it can’t be too dull. It has to land on your ear as a surprise. If it contains jokes, they have to rhyme. (If it contains rhymes, words that are spelled differently are funnier, Sondheim thought, than words that are spelled the same.) And it doesn’t hurt if it’s hummable.

 The song has to take the character singing it somewhere. It has to be essential to the show. “If you can take the song out," Sondheim said, "and it doesn’t leave a hole, then the song’s not necessary.” If this all sounds impossible, I can assure you (as someone who has been trying with variable success to write musical theater as long as I’ve known what it was and will keep trying until they take all the pens away), it’s even harder.

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 Sondheim made it look possible. Not just possible; easy. He created indelible songs and lyrics that both function perfectly in the shows they call home — a breathtaking panoply from his first lyric-writing hit, “West Side Story,” to “Gypsy" to “Company” to “Into the Woods” to “Assassins” to “Sweeney Todd” — and work outside them. He married form and content so effortlessly that the songs feel found rather than made, like the only possible way of expressing the thoughts they contain. Love is overwhelming and silly and as simple as “Maria! Maria! Maria! Maria!”

 Follow Alexandra Petri's opinions Follow

 Of course, theater, especially musical theater, is an art form that’s highly artificial. People do not, it is often snidely observed, burst out into song in the middle of actual life. But this artifice is in service of a higher truth: The way we actually experience life is muddled and ambivalent and full of stops and starts and revelations that come too soon or too late. Sometimes words come to you before the meaning behind them fills in. (Sometimes, for instance, your high school puts on “Company”; you may be working very hard to be disillusioned, but you are 17.)

 A lot of musical theater, especially Sondheim’s, takes advantage of the artificiality of the form to occupy the spaces we move through too quickly. Many of Sondheim’s most poignant songs show people standing apart from life to contemplate it: Cinderella dithering on the steps of the palace, or a bride-to-be wavering on the verge of commitment. The songs that make the most exciting case for life are sung by people who aren’t quite living it.

 Advertisement

 People, Sondheim included, are always trying to set up this dichotomy between art and life. Yeats railed, “The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life or of the work.” In his own work “Sunday in the Park With George,” Sondheim set up attention to craft as something in contrast to and separated from life itself. The pointillist painter Georges Seurat sings:

 They have never understood,
 And no reason that they should,
 But if anybody could, finishing the hat.
 How you have to finish the hat.
 How you watch the rest of the world
 From a window while you finish the hat.

 But surely Sondheim knew better than anyone that life and art are not separate; we need art to give life back to us, to give us words for the water we’re moving through. Words for the in-between places, when you’re stuck in a moment of indecision or hesitation or just wishing it were possible to have “your mother at the door, the roof, the house and the world you never thought to explore.”

 Coming up with the right words, words that can be heard, words that are essential — this isn’t something different from life. This is the thing that makes life worth it. Sondheim must have known that he wasn’t watching the rest of the world from a window; he was opening a window for the rest of us.

 Life also exists in time. You cannot stop it and start it and go back and hope to make yourself better understood. You must express yourself in the moments allotted and make yourself heard and choose what to say.

 If you are lucky, and a genius, it will also be hummable.

 Fans standing outside of the Broadway theater named after Stephen Sondheim celebrated his contribution to American musical theater on Nov. 26. (Video: Reuters)

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Writing a song might as well be impossible. Stephen Sondheim knew this perhaps better than anyone. “A song exists in time,” explained the musical theater composer and lyricist, who died Nov. 26. It is not like a poem you can stop and start and read at any pace you like and return to if you fail to grasp its meaning the first time. A song is delivered in time, and it has only as long as it lasts to tell you what it is trying to say, whether you hear it or not.  It can’t be too clever, and it can’t be too dull. It has to land on your ear as a surprise. If it contains jokes, they have to rhyme. (If it contains rhymes, words that are spelled differently are funnier, Sondheim thought, than words that are spelled the same.) And it doesn’t hurt if it’s hummable. The song has to take the character singing it somewhere. It has to be essential to the show. “If you can take the song out," Sondheim said, "and it doesn’t leave a hole, then the song’s not necessary.” If this all sounds impossible, I can assure you (as someone who has been trying with variable success to write musical theater as long as I’ve known what it was and will keep trying until they take all the pens away), it’s even harder. Sondheim made it look possible. Not just possible; easy. He created indelible songs and lyrics that both function perfectly in the shows they call home — a breathtaking panoply from his first lyric-writing hit, “West Side Story,” to “Gypsy" to “Company” to “Into the Woods” to “Assassins” to “Sweeney Todd” — and work outside them. He married form and content so effortlessly that the songs feel found rather than made, like the only possible way of expressing the thoughts they contain. Love is overwhelming and silly and as simple as “Maria! Maria! Maria! Maria!”    Follow Alexandra Petri's opinionsFollow  Of course, theater, especially musical theater, is an art form that’s highly artificial. People do not, it is often snidely observed, burst out into song in the middle of actual life. But this artifice is in service of a higher truth: The way we actually experience life is muddled and ambivalent and full of stops and starts and revelations that come too soon or too late. Sometimes words come to you before the meaning behind them fills in. (Sometimes, for instance, your high school puts on “Company”; you may be working very hard to be disillusioned, but you are 17.) A lot of musical theater, especially Sondheim’s, takes advantage of the artificiality of the form to occupy the spaces we move through too quickly. Many of Sondheim’s most poignant songs show people standing apart from life to contemplate it: Cinderella dithering on the steps of the palace, or a bride-to-be wavering on the verge of commitment. The songs that make the most exciting case for life are sung by people who aren’t quite living it. People, Sondheim included, are always trying to set up this dichotomy between art and life. Yeats railed, “The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life or of the work.” In his own work “Sunday in the Park With George,” Sondheim set up attention to craft as something in contrast to and separated from life itself. The pointillist painter Georges Seurat sings:   They have never understood, And no reason that they should, But if anybody could, finishing the hat. How you have to finish the hat. How you watch the rest of the world From a window while you finish the hat.   But surely Sondheim knew better than anyone that life and art are not separate; we need art to give life back to us, to give us words for the water we’re moving through. Words for the in-between places, when you’re stuck in a moment of indecision or hesitation or just wishing it were possible to have “your mother at the door, the roof, the house and the world you never thought to explore.” Coming up with the right words, words that can be heard, words that are essential — this isn’t something different from life. This is the thing that makes life worth it. Sondheim must have known that he wasn’t watching the rest of the world from a window; he was opening a window for the rest of us. Life also exists in time. You cannot stop it and start it and go back and hope to make yourself better understood. You must express yourself in the moments allotted and make yourself heard and choose what to say. If you are lucky, and a genius, it will also be hummable.    Fans standing outside of the Broadway theater named after Stephen Sondheim celebrated his contribution to American musical theater on Nov. 26. (Video: Reuters)         Opinion|Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift debacle was so bad it united the parties       Opinion|Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift debacle was so bad it united the parties       Opinion|M&amp;M’s accept Tucker Carlson’s invite to the culture wars       Opinion|M&amp;M’s accept Tucker Carlson’s invite to the culture wars       Opinion|The ‘Rust’ movie shooting should never have happened       Opinion|The ‘Rust’ movie shooting should never have happened
Opinion | Stephen Sondheim made art that made life more real
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/27/stephen-sondheim-songs-life-more-real/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/virgil-abloh-death/index.html
Virgil Abloh, artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, dies of cancer at 41
2021-11-28
Caitlin Hu and Eric Levenson, CNN
<div><div><p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/africa/black-celebrities-lgbt-ghana-intl/index.html">Virgil Abloh</a>, the acclaimed menswear designer for<strong> </strong>Louis Vuitton and founder and CEO of Off-White, died Sunday of cancer, according to a post from his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1FDd4oXan/">verified Instagram account</a>. He was 41.</p><p>"We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He is survived by his loving wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues," the post read.</p><p>"For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma. He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture."</p><div><p></p><div><p>Virgil Abloh pictured outside an event in Paris in July this year. </p> <p>Credit: Christian Vierig/Getty Images </p></div></div><p>Abloh was a true multi-hyphenate -- first, and foremost a fashion designer, who before making history as Louis Vuitton's first Black artistic director, founded the cult streetwear label Off-White. </p><p>At Louis Vuitton, he brought in a younger demographic, with menswear collections that blurred the lines between high fashion and streetwear, as well as pushed artistic boundaries and challenged gender norms. A sparkly "embroidered bib" he designed, for example, became an instant talking point when it was worn by Timothée Chalamet to the Golden Globes in 2019. Other versions were donned by Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman. </p><div><p>1/17</p><p>From his history-making work at Louis Vuitton as men's artistic director to unexpected partnerships with Mercedes Benz and artist Takashi Murakami, here's a look back at some of Virgil Abloh's best designs and collaborations. (Pictured: Abloh at the 2021 Met Gala "Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021. Credit: Cindy Ord/MG21/Getty Images</p></div><p>Famous for cross-collaborations, one of Abloh's greatest legacies was his contribution to the world of footwear -- setting the standard for innovative sneakers, in edition after edition of Off-White x Nike designs. </p><div><p></p><div><p>Kanye West and Virgil Abloh pose after the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring-Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2018 in Paris, France.</p> <p>Credit: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/French Select/Getty Images</p></div></div><p>He was also big in the world of music, and as a prolific DJ, played at music venues around the world. As a longstanding collaborator of Kanye West, now known as Ye, he worked as a creative director for the rapper's design agency Donda, and designed some of Ye's album covers. As an artist and furniture designer, he collaborated with the likes of Mercedes Benz on an <a href="http://www.cnn.com/style/article/virgil-abloh-mercedes-benz-collaboration/index.html">art concept car</a> and IKEA on a coveted range aimed at people moving into their first homes. </p><p>Tributes poured in overnight for the late designer, who was one of fashion's most powerful Black men, in an industry that notoriously lacks diversity.<strong> </strong>Harlem couturier Daniel Day, known as Dapper Dan, spoke to the point in an Instagram post, writing "Virgil's life was a testament to how much Black Lives Matter by showing what black lives are capable of.</p><p>"His march took him to the top of luxury fashion. Virgil started out as a foot soldier but died a general." </p><p>British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful called him "a giant among men," on Instagram, writing that Abloh always worked "to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that that they -- unlike himself, would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in." </p><div><p>Virgil Abloh speaking on his design philosophy at Design Miami in 2016</p> </div><p>Models Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber also took to social media, with the latter writing that Abloh was "a once in a generation creative mind," who altered the way she looked at street style and fashion. Accompanying the Instagram post was a photo of Bieber with Abloh, who custom-designed her lace wedding dress in 2019. </p><p>Poet Amanda Gorman, who <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/amanda-gorman-vogue-may-2021-cover/index.html">wore</a> a vibrant garment designed by Abloh for her Vogue cover in May, wrote that she was "privileged" to have met him and to have worn "such a beautiful piece designed in honor of your grandmother.</p><p>"I knew then I was experiencing the honor of wearing a designer whose work transcends both past and present."</p><p>The luxury group LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, tweeted about his death and, in a statement, quoted LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault: "We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom."</p><div><p>LVMH had<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.lvmh.com/news-documents/news/virgil-abloh-and-lvmh-announce-significant-expansion-of-their-successful-relationship/">accquired a majority stake in Off-White this July</a> in an agreement that all sides hoped would begin a new chapter.</p></div><p>"I'm also honored to use this partnership to deepen my longstanding commitment to expand opportunities for diverse individuals and foster greater equity and inclusion in the industries we serve," Abloh said at the time. "This is an incredible new platform to take the disruption we've achieved together to a whole new level."</p><p>Abloh, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, was born in 1980 in Rockford, Illinois. He earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a master's degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology; a foundation that would later influence his broader practice. </p><p>"My career trajectory started in design in a more traditional multidisciplinary sense, within architecture and engineering before I (started in) fashion," he told CNN in a 2020 <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/virgil-abloh-mercedes-benz-collaboration/index.html">interview</a>.</p><p>"I look at my work as metaphoric -- what can exist in different disciplines of design, how you can form a new design language, and engage a younger audience, across icons, using some different techniques and investigations."</p><div><p>1/11</p><p>On June 21, 2018 Virgil Abloh showed his first collection as artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. Credit: Peter White/Getty Images</p></div><div><p>Abloh was named among <a href="https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5238167/virgil-abloh/">Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People</a> in 2018, and the <a href="https://mcachicago.org/Exhibitions/2019/Virgil-Abloh">Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago</a> presented an exhibition of the work of "genre-bending artist and designer" in 2019.</p></div><p>Before his untimely death, he was working on plans for a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Miami, Florida, to coincide with the opening of a new men's store in the city. A presentation of his Spring-Summer 2022 collection <a href="https://twitter.com/louisvuitton/status/1465156488041840641?s=21">will go ahead</a> at 5.30pm ET on Tuesday November 30, according to an update posted from Louis Vuitton's official Twitter account.</p></div>||||I|||| fashion

 Virgil Abloh, artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, dies of cancer at 41

 Updated 29th November 2021
 Virgil Abloh, artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, dies of cancer at 41
 Written by Caitlin HuEric Levenson , CNN
 Virgil Abloh, the acclaimed menswear designer for Louis Vuitton and founder and CEO of Off-White, died Sunday of cancer, according to a post from his verified Instagram account. He was 41.
 "We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He is survived by his loving wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues," the post read.
 "For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma. He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture."
 Virgil Abloh pictured outside an event in Paris in July this year. Credit: Christian Vierig/Getty Images
 Creating for community: The Black designers placing identity and heritage at the center of their brands
 Abloh was a true multi-hyphenate -- first, and foremost a fashion designer, who before making history as Louis Vuitton's first Black artistic director, founded the cult streetwear label Off-White.
 At Louis Vuitton, he brought in a younger demographic, with menswear collections that blurred the lines between high fashion and streetwear, as well as pushed artistic boundaries and challenged gender norms. A sparkly "embroidered bib" he designed, for example, became an instant talking point when it was worn by Timothée Chalamet to the Golden Globes in 2019. Other versions were donned by Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman.
 1 /17
 From his history-making work at Louis Vuitton as men's artistic director to unexpected partnerships with Mercedes Benz and artist Takashi Murakami, here's a look back at some of Virgil Abloh's best designs and collaborations. (Pictured: Abloh at the 2021 Met Gala "Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021. Credit: Cindy Ord/MG21/Getty Images
 Famous for cross-collaborations, one of Abloh's greatest legacies was his contribution to the world of footwear -- setting the standard for innovative sneakers, in edition after edition of Off-White x Nike designs.
 Kanye West and Virgil Abloh pose after the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring-Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2018 in Paris, France. Credit: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/French Select/Getty Images
 He was also big in the world of music, and as a prolific DJ, played at music venues around the world. As a longstanding collaborator of Kanye West, now known as Ye, he worked as a creative director for the rapper's design agency Donda, and designed some of Ye's album covers. As an artist and furniture designer, he collaborated with the likes of Mercedes Benz on an art concept car and IKEA on a coveted range aimed at people moving into their first homes.
 Tributes poured in overnight for the late designer, who was one of fashion's most powerful Black men, in an industry that notoriously lacks diversity. Harlem couturier Daniel Day, known as Dapper Dan, spoke to the point in an Instagram post, writing "Virgil's life was a testament to how much Black Lives Matter by showing what black lives are capable of.
 "His march took him to the top of luxury fashion. Virgil started out as a foot soldier but died a general."
 British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful called him "a giant among men," on Instagram, writing that Abloh always worked "to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that that they -- unlike himself, would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in."
 Virgil Abloh speaking on his design philosophy at Design Miami in 2016
 Models Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber also took to social media, with the latter writing that Abloh was "a once in a generation creative mind," who altered the way she looked at street style and fashion. Accompanying the Instagram post was a photo of Bieber with Abloh, who custom-designed her lace wedding dress in 2019.
 Poet Amanda Gorman, who wore a vibrant garment designed by Abloh for her Vogue cover in May, wrote that she was "privileged" to have met him and to have worn "such a beautiful piece designed in honor of your grandmother.
 "I knew then I was experiencing the honor of wearing a designer whose work transcends both past and present."
 Poet Amanda Gorman featured on the cover of Vogue
 The luxury group LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, tweeted about his death and, in a statement, quoted LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault: "We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom."
 LVMH had accquired a majority stake in Off-White this July in an agreement that all sides hoped would begin a new chapter.
 "I'm also honored to use this partnership to deepen my longstanding commitment to expand opportunities for diverse individuals and foster greater equity and inclusion in the industries we serve," Abloh said at the time. "This is an incredible new platform to take the disruption we've achieved together to a whole new level."
 Highlights from the Paris Fashion Week menswear shows
 Abloh, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, was born in 1980 in Rockford, Illinois. He earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a master's degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology; a foundation that would later influence his broader practice.
 "My career trajectory started in design in a more traditional multidisciplinary sense, within architecture and engineering before I (started in) fashion," he told CNN in a 2020 interview.
 "I look at my work as metaphoric -- what can exist in different disciplines of design, how you can form a new design language, and engage a younger audience, across icons, using some different techniques and investigations."
 1 /11
 On June 21, 2018 Virgil Abloh showed his first collection as artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. Credit: Peter White/Getty Images
 Abloh was named among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2018, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presented an exhibition of the work of "genre-bending artist and designer" in 2019.
 Before his untimely death, he was working on plans for a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Miami, Florida, to coincide with the opening of a new men's store in the city. A presentation of his Spring-Summer 2022 collection will go ahead at 5.30pm ET on Tuesday November 30, according to an update posted from Louis Vuitton's official Twitter account.
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Virgil Abloh, the acclaimed menswear designer for Louis Vuitton and founder and CEO of Off-White, died Sunday of cancer, according to a post from his verified Instagram account. He was 41. "We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He is survived by his loving wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues," the post read. "For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma. He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture."     Virgil Abloh pictured outside an event in Paris in July this year.  Credit: Christian Vierig/Getty Images    Abloh was a true multi-hyphenate -- first, and foremost a fashion designer, who before making history as Louis Vuitton's first Black artistic director, founded the cult streetwear label Off-White.  At Louis Vuitton, he brought in a younger demographic, with menswear collections that blurred the lines between high fashion and streetwear, as well as pushed artistic boundaries and challenged gender norms. A sparkly "embroidered bib" he designed, for example, became an instant talking point when it was worn by Timothée Chalamet to the Golden Globes in 2019. Other versions were donned by Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman.   1/17 From his history-making work at Louis Vuitton as men's artistic director to unexpected partnerships with Mercedes Benz and artist Takashi Murakami, here's a look back at some of Virgil Abloh's best designs and collaborations. (Pictured: Abloh at the 2021 Met Gala "Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021. Credit: Cindy Ord/MG21/Getty Images  Famous for cross-collaborations, one of Abloh's greatest legacies was his contribution to the world of footwear -- setting the standard for innovative sneakers, in edition after edition of Off-White x Nike designs.      Kanye West and Virgil Abloh pose after the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring-Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2018 in Paris, France. Credit: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/French Select/Getty Images   He was also big in the world of music, and as a prolific DJ, played at music venues around the world. As a longstanding collaborator of Kanye West, now known as Ye, he worked as a creative director for the rapper's design agency Donda, and designed some of Ye's album covers. As an artist and furniture designer, he collaborated with the likes of Mercedes Benz on an art concept car and IKEA on a coveted range aimed at people moving into their first homes.  Tributes poured in overnight for the late designer, who was one of fashion's most powerful Black men, in an industry that notoriously lacks diversity. Harlem couturier Daniel Day, known as Dapper Dan, spoke to the point in an Instagram post, writing "Virgil's life was a testament to how much Black Lives Matter by showing what black lives are capable of. "His march took him to the top of luxury fashion. Virgil started out as a foot soldier but died a general."  British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful called him "a giant among men," on Instagram, writing that Abloh always worked "to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that that they -- unlike himself, would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in."   Virgil Abloh speaking on his design philosophy at Design Miami in 2016  Models Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber also took to social media, with the latter writing that Abloh was "a once in a generation creative mind," who altered the way she looked at street style and fashion. Accompanying the Instagram post was a photo of Bieber with Abloh, who custom-designed her lace wedding dress in 2019.  Poet Amanda Gorman, who wore a vibrant garment designed by Abloh for her Vogue cover in May, wrote that she was "privileged" to have met him and to have worn "such a beautiful piece designed in honor of your grandmother. "I knew then I was experiencing the honor of wearing a designer whose work transcends both past and present." The luxury group LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, tweeted about his death and, in a statement, quoted LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault: "We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom."  LVMH had  accquired a majority stake in Off-White this July in an agreement that all sides hoped would begin a new chapter.  "I'm also honored to use this partnership to deepen my longstanding commitment to expand opportunities for diverse individuals and foster greater equity and inclusion in the industries we serve," Abloh said at the time. "This is an incredible new platform to take the disruption we've achieved together to a whole new level." Abloh, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, was born in 1980 in Rockford, Illinois. He earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a master's degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology; a foundation that would later influence his broader practice.  "My career trajectory started in design in a more traditional multidisciplinary sense, within architecture and engineering before I (started in) fashion," he told CNN in a 2020 interview. "I look at my work as metaphoric -- what can exist in different disciplines of design, how you can form a new design language, and engage a younger audience, across icons, using some different techniques and investigations."  1/11 On June 21, 2018 Virgil Abloh showed his first collection as artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. Credit: Peter White/Getty Images   Abloh was named among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2018, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presented an exhibition of the work of "genre-bending artist and designer" in 2019.  Before his untimely death, he was working on plans for a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Miami, Florida, to coincide with the opening of a new men's store in the city. A presentation of his Spring-Summer 2022 collection will go ahead at 5.30pm ET on Tuesday November 30, according to an update posted from Louis Vuitton's official Twitter account.
Virgil Abloh, artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, dies of cancer at 41
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/virgil-abloh-death/index.html
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https://www.teenvogue.com/story/virgil-abloh-tributes
Bella Hadid, BTS, Kendall Jenner & More Pay Tribute to Virgil Abloh
2021-11-29
Condé Nast; Kara K Nesvig
<div><div><div><p>Legendary designer Virgil Abloh died after a long battle with cancer on Sunday, November 28, and tributes have been pouring in from all around the world since <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/virgil-abloh-died-age-41">news of his passing</a> broke that same day. Virgil, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear and CEO of Off-White, had been an innovator and change-maker in the fashion industry thanks to his talent, artistry, and ability to make others feel accepted and empowered through fashion. Aside from being one of fashion's biggest names, Abloh was also a prominent DJ and music producer.</p><p>After news of his passing, celebrities, fashion insiders, and musicians who had worked and become friends with Abloh took to social media to share their grief, as well as precious memories of their time together. Below, see some of the most touching tributes to Abloh from the people he touched and inspired.</p><h2><strong>Bella Hadid</strong></h2><p>The model posted a gallery of pics of herself and Abloh, including one of them FaceTiming, along with a tribute message. "You broke boundaries and made everything your own. You shared your love infinitely. The way your brain worked was beyond anything, and the way you did every single thing in life for your family, friends, and for the better," she wrote. "We’re gonna miss you a lot V. You really saw me and supported me on every level. As you did to so many of us. An ethereal light. You always inspired to keep pushing, work hard and be kind."</p><h2><strong>BTS</strong></h2><p>The South Korean group, who are currently <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-louis-vuitton-global-ambassadors">global ambassadors of Louis Vuitton</a> and <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-louis-vuitton-fw21-show">walked during Abloh's last show</a> for the line, also took to Twitter to share their condolences. The septet wrote that it was "an honor" to work with Abloh and that he was a “true creative genius.”</p></div><div><h2><strong>Kendall Jenner</strong> </h2><p>Kendall, who wore Off-White to the Met Gala in 2018 and was friends with the designer, also posted a handful of photos with Abloh and a beautiful statement. "If you had the privilege of knowing Virgil, you were one of the lucky ones. He was the kindest, most positive, humble, joyful, and full of light person I have ever known," she shared. "He had the most wonderful way of making you feel so special. His genuine smile would warm your heart. To battle his illness privately perfectly explains the type of man he was, he never wanted anyone to worry about him. We have lost a dear friend. No words do my feelings justice at this very moment, but what I can say is that I am absolutely heartbroken. For his family, his kids, his wife, and anyone who cared for him deeply."</p><h2><strong>Gigi Hadid</strong></h2><p>"I am heartbroken by the loss of my dear friend, and a friend to the world, Virgil Abloh. He was 1 of 1," Gigi Hadid wrote in her tribute. "His kindness and energetic generosity left a lasting impression on every life he touched— he made everyone feel seen and special. He will be deeply missed, cherished, and celebrated by me and all the people and industries that have been lucky enough to work around &amp; know the true supernova behind this man."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Hailey Bieber</strong></h2><p>Abloh worked closely with Hailey to design her breathtaking wedding gown and shared several photos of the process along with her tribute post for the late creative. "Virgil completely changed the way I looked at street style and fashion, the way he looked at things inspired me deeply. I will never be able to fully express how grateful I am to have known him and worked with him, from walking on his runways to having him design my wedding dress and all the other amazing moments in between, I felt he was always rooting for me," she wrote. "He was someone who always brought life, charisma, love and fun to any situation, and every room he walked into. A once in a generation creative mind that is so rare and I’ll never forget his impact. We love you Virgil."</p><h2><strong>Timothée Chalamet</strong> </h2><p>The actor shared a handful of photos as a tribute to Abloh, including one of a text exchange between them and another of them hugging. He also included the Dylan Thomas poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Bobby Hundreds</strong> </h2><p>"Everybody has a Virgil story," the designer wrote in his post, calling Vigil a “masterful designer.”</p><h2><strong>Phillip Lim</strong></h2><p>"We lost a guardian of culture, fashion, and of humanity today. While we are all still in disbelief, and mourning this massive lost, lets [sic] not let his passing be in vain," wrote the designer, who first met Abloh in 2010 via Kanye West. "Let it be a reminder of living a life of possibilities, of grace, of change. Take what he blazed and continue to break down the barriers. Accept mortality and then make the most of it. Be the change."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Frank Ocean</strong></h2><p>The musician shared his thoughts to Instagram Stories, writing, "I know grief is love you don't get to express so this is an attempt at expressing it. Love you V. You're a hero."</p><h2><strong>Billie Eilish</strong></h2><p>"I'm devastated," Billie wrote on IG Stories, later sharing a photo of herself and Abloh along with three broken heart emojis.</p><h2><strong>Finneas</strong> </h2><p>Billie's brother Finneas called Abloh an “inspiration to so many,” including himself, in his tribute posted to Twitter.</p><h2><strong>Pharrell</strong></h2><p>"Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius," wrote Pharrell in his tribute post. "Your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Kris Jenner</strong> </h2><p>The momager shared a gallery of pics of Abloh, including one of them posing together. "I’m so so saddened and devastated to hear about the passing of our dear friend Virgil Abloh. I’m sending all of my love and prayers to his beautiful family. You are an angel @virgilabloh and we love you," she wrote.</p><h2><strong>Kylie Jenner</strong> </h2><p>Kylie, on the other hand, reported Kendall's tribute to her IG stories, writing, "This really hurts. We love you, Virgil" alongside a broken heart emoji.</p><figure></figure><h2><strong>Amanda Gorman</strong></h2><p>The poet, who wore a gown designed by Abloh for her <em>Vogue</em> cover, wrote, "I count myself so privileged to have met you and to have worn such a beautiful piece by you designed in honor of your grandmother. I knew then I was experiencing the honor of wearing a designer whose work transcends both past and present. To rephrase something you once said, let us paint new pictures where the old ones have been erased."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Kaia Gerber</strong> </h2><p>Kaia posted a beautiful tribute to the designer along with two black and white photos of them together. "In a world where smiles are too rare, and kindness is even rarer, there was you. With your laughter and your light and your positivity," she shared. "I would look to you when it felt like everything was spinning and somehow you always made it go quiet. You saw people, and through your art you gave them the courage to be themselves."</p><h2><strong>Cynthia Erivo</strong> </h2><p>The actor shared a tribute to the designer on Instagram, calling him "a true creative, a visionary, a dreamer, an example of impossible possibilities."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Russell Westbrook</strong></h2><p>The athlete posted a pic of himself and Abloh together, also writing that the designer was "a true inspiration."</p><h2><strong>LeBron James</strong> </h2><p>LeBron shared a group shot with Abloh and a pic of custom Off-White Nikes with "Virgil was here" written on them. “Rest in paradise, legend,” he wrote in his caption.</p><h2><strong>Adut Akech</strong></h2><p>The model, who had worked with Abloh on several occasions, shared several shots of herself wearing Abloh-designed pieces, including a stunning tiered ruffled gown. "It was an honor to know and be in your presence, Virgil. To work with you and be in your creative world. Thank you for all that you’ve done for the culture," she wrote. "We’ve lost a real one. But your legacy will live forever."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Drake</strong></h2><p>"My plan is to touch the sky 1000 more times for you," Drake wrote about his friend. "Love you eternally brother."</p><h2><strong>Cara Delevingne</strong></h2><p>The model wrote that she was "in shock" about the news. "This man has done so much for so many people. He lived his life for creation and for others in so many ways. I only hope that with his decision to face this battle in private, that he felt and was surrounded by all the love that the world and the people close to him felt," she shared on Instagram. "You will never be forgotten and you will continue to inspire so many everyday [sic]."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Lenny Kravitz</strong></h2><p>"You made an indelible mark on this world," wrote the musician.</p><h2><strong>Venus Williams</strong> </h2><p>The tennis legend wore Off-White on and off the court and was an admirer of Abloh's work. "I always watched everything he did so closely and it inspired me to be better in everything I do. His collections literally brought me to tears because they were so connected so beautiful and so inspiring," she wrote. "I have a feeling everything I do and experience next year will be for Virgil and inspired by Virgil."</p><h2><strong>Cardi B</strong></h2><p>Cardi posted an Instagram Stories tribute, saying "He made amazing impact in the fashion industry and on the culture. I don't see anyone ever doing it like him ever again."</p></div><div><figure></figure><h2><strong>Offset</strong></h2><p>The rapper shared a video of Abloh writing on his Off-White Nike Air sneakers, writing, "thank you for what you have done for our culture and community as a Black man u changed the game in design &amp; fashion you believed in our youth."</p><h2><strong>Megan Rapinoe</strong></h2><p>The athlete posted a pic of herself and Abloh in coordinating shades of red. "You changed the world," she said of the designer.</p><h2><strong>Winnie Harlow</strong></h2><p>The model posted several shots of herself and Abloh together, writing of the designer, "RIP to a visionary and icon who helped push the culture forward and open doors and break down barriers, who made the next generation of creatives feel anything is possible."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Riz Ahmed</strong></h2><p>The actor tweeted that Abloh "stretched culture &amp; the changed the game. Thank you for all you did to support so many &amp; how you pushed us to reimagine what’s possible."</p><h2><strong>Kevin Abstract</strong></h2><p>The rapper shared that he was "heartbroken" over the news, adding that Abloh "changed the culture forever."</p><h2><strong>The Weeknd</strong></h2><p>The Weeknd shared a simple tweet, writing only Abloh's name and adding a few broken heart emojis.</p></div><div><h2><strong>April Reign</strong></h2><p>"Horrible news about Virgil Abloh. And, of course, thinking about Chad, who was just a few years older. How these Black men suffered in silence," the activist wrote on Twitter. "The barriers they broke, despite the toll it was taking. And what it says about US that they chose to fight silently. F*ck cancer."</p><h2><strong>CHIKA</strong></h2><p>The rapper shared just a few words on Twitter.</p><h2><strong>Kehlani</strong></h2><p>"Rest in absolute peace," Kehlani tweeted, later lamenting the loss in some other tweets.</p></div><div><h2><strong>Marshmello</strong></h2><p>Marshmello called Abloh "an absolute legend and visionary" in a Twitter tribute.</p><h2><strong>Matthew A. Cherry</strong></h2><p>"41 is way too young," tweeted the filmmaker in reference to Abloh's death.</p><h2><strong>Edward Enninful</strong></h2><p>The editor-in-chief of <em>British Vogue</em> shared a touching tribute to the designer on Instagram. "Famously prolific, he always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they - unlike himself - would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in. Virgil believed that anything was possible for humankind, if only we could tear ourselves away from unconscious biases and norms and reassume the imagination we had as children," he wrote. "His achievements won’t just live on. They will continue to evolve, because we are only seeing the beginning of his impact on the creative industries and surrounding world. My thoughts are with his family and all those who loved him. Rest in peace, Virgil, a giant among men."</p></div><div><h2><strong>Victoria Beckham</strong></h2><p>The designer called Abloh a "true inspiration in so many ways."</p><h2><strong>Donatella Versace</strong></h2><p>"The world has lost a fashion superstar. An innovator. A creator for the history books. I am thinking of all your loved ones on this tragic day," wrote Donatella, sharing a pic of herself and Abloh at an event with Naomi Campbell.</p><h2><strong>Kim Jones</strong></h2><p>The designer shared memories of working with his friend and fashion colleague. "Many great times spent traveling the world and hanging out in hotel rooms working on the floor and going through Japanese magazines and laughing and talking about ideas," he wrote.</p></div><div><h2><strong>Marc Jacobs</strong></h2><p>"Thank you for all you have given us," designer Marc Jacobs wrote on Instagram.</p><h2><strong>Stella McCartney</strong></h2><p>Fellow designer Stella McCartney posted a few sweet pics in honor of Abloh. "My time knowing you was brief, but you hit me hard with a bolt of deeply inspired impact, true talent and a desire to bring a better meaning to the world of fashion and design," she shared. "You will be missed on so many levels. Rest in peace and fly high… you are and will always be a star with grace and beauty."</p><h2><strong>Eva Chen</strong></h2><p>Eva Chen and Virgil became friends after meeting at an event and even created an Instagram filter together. "A lot of words will be used to describe Virgil in the coming days/weeks/years. I’ll always remember him as, yes, a visionary but also kind, generous, and funny. He always wanted to help kids realize their dreams. If Virgil inspired you, please consider donating to his scholarship fund," she wrote.</p></div></div></div>||||I|||| Skip to main content
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 Bella Hadid, BTS, Kendall Jenner & More Pay Tribute to Virgil Abloh

 The designer’s death at 41 was announced on November 28.

 By Kara K. Nesvig

 November 29, 2021

 Creative Director Virgil Abloh and Model Bella Hadid are seen on the runway after the Off-White Fall/Winter 2021/2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 4, 2021, in Paris, France. Pierre Suu/Getty Images

 Legendary designer Virgil Abloh died after a long battle with cancer on Sunday, November 28, and tributes have been pouring in from all around the world since news of his passing broke that same day. Virgil, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear and CEO of Off-White, had been an innovator and change-maker in the fashion industry thanks to his talent, artistry, and ability to make others feel accepted and empowered through fashion. Aside from being one of fashion's biggest names, Abloh was also a prominent DJ and music producer.

 After news of his passing, celebrities, fashion insiders, and musicians who had worked and become friends with Abloh took to social media to share their grief, as well as precious memories of their time together. Below, see some of the most touching tributes to Abloh from the people he touched and inspired.

 Bella Hadid

 The model posted a gallery of pics of herself and Abloh, including one of them FaceTiming, along with a tribute message. "You broke boundaries and made everything your own. You shared your love infinitely. The way your brain worked was beyond anything, and the way you did every single thing in life for your family, friends, and for the better," she wrote. "We’re gonna miss you a lot V. You really saw me and supported me on every level. As you did to so many of us. An ethereal light. You always inspired to keep pushing, work hard and be kind."

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 BTS

 The South Korean group, who are currently global ambassadors of Louis Vuitton and walked during Abloh's last show for the line, also took to Twitter to share their condolences. The septet wrote that it was "an honor" to work with Abloh and that he was a “true creative genius.”

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 Kendall Jenner

 Kendall, who wore Off-White to the Met Gala in 2018 and was friends with the designer, also posted a handful of photos with Abloh and a beautiful statement. "If you had the privilege of knowing Virgil, you were one of the lucky ones. He was the kindest, most positive, humble, joyful, and full of light person I have ever known," she shared. "He had the most wonderful way of making you feel so special. His genuine smile would warm your heart. To battle his illness privately perfectly explains the type of man he was, he never wanted anyone to worry about him. We have lost a dear friend. No words do my feelings justice at this very moment, but what I can say is that I am absolutely heartbroken. For his family, his kids, his wife, and anyone who cared for him deeply."

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 Gigi Hadid

 "I am heartbroken by the loss of my dear friend, and a friend to the world, Virgil Abloh. He was 1 of 1," Gigi Hadid wrote in her tribute. "His kindness and energetic generosity left a lasting impression on every life he touched— he made everyone feel seen and special. He will be deeply missed, cherished, and celebrated by me and all the people and industries that have been lucky enough to work around & know the true supernova behind this man."

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 Hailey Bieber

 Abloh worked closely with Hailey to design her breathtaking wedding gown and shared several photos of the process along with her tribute post for the late creative. "Virgil completely changed the way I looked at street style and fashion, the way he looked at things inspired me deeply. I will never be able to fully express how grateful I am to have known him and worked with him, from walking on his runways to having him design my wedding dress and all the other amazing moments in between, I felt he was always rooting for me," she wrote. "He was someone who always brought life, charisma, love and fun to any situation, and every room he walked into. A once in a generation creative mind that is so rare and I’ll never forget his impact. We love you Virgil."

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 Timothée Chalamet

 The actor shared a handful of photos as a tribute to Abloh, including one of a text exchange between them and another of them hugging. He also included the Dylan Thomas poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."

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 Bobby Hundreds

 "Everybody has a Virgil story," the designer wrote in his post, calling Vigil a “masterful designer.”

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 Phillip Lim

 "We lost a guardian of culture, fashion, and of humanity today. While we are all still in disbelief, and mourning this massive lost, lets [sic] not let his passing be in vain," wrote the designer, who first met Abloh in 2010 via Kanye West. "Let it be a reminder of living a life of possibilities, of grace, of change. Take what he blazed and continue to break down the barriers. Accept mortality and then make the most of it. Be the change."

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 Instagram content

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 Frank Ocean

 The musician shared his thoughts to Instagram Stories, writing, "I know grief is love you don't get to express so this is an attempt at expressing it. Love you V. You're a hero."

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 Billie Eilish

 "I'm devastated," Billie wrote on IG Stories, later sharing a photo of herself and Abloh along with three broken heart emojis.

 Finneas

 Billie's brother Finneas called Abloh an “inspiration to so many,” including himself, in his tribute posted to Twitter.

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 Pharrell

 "Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius," wrote Pharrell in his tribute post. "Your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever."

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 Kris Jenner

 The momager shared a gallery of pics of Abloh, including one of them posing together. "I’m so so saddened and devastated to hear about the passing of our dear friend Virgil Abloh. I’m sending all of my love and prayers to his beautiful family. You are an angel @virgilabloh and we love you," she wrote.

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 Kylie Jenner

 Kylie, on the other hand, reported Kendall's tribute to her IG stories, writing, "This really hurts. We love you, Virgil" alongside a broken heart emoji.

 Amanda Gorman

 The poet, who wore a gown designed by Abloh for her Vogue cover, wrote, "I count myself so privileged to have met you and to have worn such a beautiful piece by you designed in honor of your grandmother. I knew then I was experiencing the honor of wearing a designer whose work transcends both past and present. To rephrase something you once said, let us paint new pictures where the old ones have been erased."

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 Kaia Gerber

 Kaia posted a beautiful tribute to the designer along with two black and white photos of them together. "In a world where smiles are too rare, and kindness is even rarer, there was you. With your laughter and your light and your positivity," she shared. "I would look to you when it felt like everything was spinning and somehow you always made it go quiet. You saw people, and through your art you gave them the courage to be themselves."

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 Cynthia Erivo

 The actor shared a tribute to the designer on Instagram, calling him "a true creative, a visionary, a dreamer, an example of impossible possibilities."

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 Russell Westbrook

 The athlete posted a pic of himself and Abloh together, also writing that the designer was "a true inspiration."

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 LeBron James

 LeBron shared a group shot with Abloh and a pic of custom Off-White Nikes with "Virgil was here" written on them. “Rest in paradise, legend,” he wrote in his caption.

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 Adut Akech

 The model, who had worked with Abloh on several occasions, shared several shots of herself wearing Abloh-designed pieces, including a stunning tiered ruffled gown. "It was an honor to know and be in your presence, Virgil. To work with you and be in your creative world. Thank you for all that you’ve done for the culture," she wrote. "We’ve lost a real one. But your legacy will live forever."

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 Drake

 "My plan is to touch the sky 1000 more times for you," Drake wrote about his friend. "Love you eternally brother."

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 Cara Delevingne

 The model wrote that she was "in shock" about the news. "This man has done so much for so many people. He lived his life for creation and for others in so many ways. I only hope that with his decision to face this battle in private, that he felt and was surrounded by all the love that the world and the people close to him felt," she shared on Instagram. "You will never be forgotten and you will continue to inspire so many everyday [sic]."

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 Lenny Kravitz

 "You made an indelible mark on this world," wrote the musician.

 Instagram content

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 Venus Williams

 The tennis legend wore Off-White on and off the court and was an admirer of Abloh's work. "I always watched everything he did so closely and it inspired me to be better in everything I do. His collections literally brought me to tears because they were so connected so beautiful and so inspiring," she wrote. "I have a feeling everything I do and experience next year will be for Virgil and inspired by Virgil."

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 Cardi B

 Cardi posted an Instagram Stories tribute, saying "He made amazing impact in the fashion industry and on the culture. I don't see anyone ever doing it like him ever again."

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 Offset

 The rapper shared a video of Abloh writing on his Off-White Nike Air sneakers, writing, "thank you for what you have done for our culture and community as a Black man u changed the game in design & fashion you believed in our youth."

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 Megan Rapinoe

 The athlete posted a pic of herself and Abloh in coordinating shades of red. "You changed the world," she said of the designer.

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 Winnie Harlow

 The model posted several shots of herself and Abloh together, writing of the designer, "RIP to a visionary and icon who helped push the culture forward and open doors and break down barriers, who made the next generation of creatives feel anything is possible."

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 Riz Ahmed

 The actor tweeted that Abloh "stretched culture & the changed the game. Thank you for all you did to support so many & how you pushed us to reimagine what’s possible."

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 Kevin Abstract

 The rapper shared that he was "heartbroken" over the news, adding that Abloh "changed the culture forever."

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 The Weeknd

 The Weeknd shared a simple tweet, writing only Abloh's name and adding a few broken heart emojis.

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 April Reign

 "Horrible news about Virgil Abloh. And, of course, thinking about Chad, who was just a few years older. How these Black men suffered in silence," the activist wrote on Twitter. "The barriers they broke, despite the toll it was taking. And what it says about US that they chose to fight silently. F*ck cancer."

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 CHIKA

 The rapper shared just a few words on Twitter.

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 Kehlani

 "Rest in absolute peace," Kehlani tweeted, later lamenting the loss in some other tweets.

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 Marshmello

 Marshmello called Abloh "an absolute legend and visionary" in a Twitter tribute.

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 Matthew A. Cherry

 "41 is way too young," tweeted the filmmaker in reference to Abloh's death.

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 Edward Enninful

 The editor-in-chief of British Vogue shared a touching tribute to the designer on Instagram. "Famously prolific, he always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they - unlike himself - would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in. Virgil believed that anything was possible for humankind, if only we could tear ourselves away from unconscious biases and norms and reassume the imagination we had as children," he wrote. "His achievements won’t just live on. They will continue to evolve, because we are only seeing the beginning of his impact on the creative industries and surrounding world. My thoughts are with his family and all those who loved him. Rest in peace, Virgil, a giant among men."

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 Victoria Beckham

 The designer called Abloh a "true inspiration in so many ways."

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 Donatella Versace

 "The world has lost a fashion superstar. An innovator. A creator for the history books. I am thinking of all your loved ones on this tragic day," wrote Donatella, sharing a pic of herself and Abloh at an event with Naomi Campbell.

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 Kim Jones

 The designer shared memories of working with his friend and fashion colleague. "Many great times spent traveling the world and hanging out in hotel rooms working on the floor and going through Japanese magazines and laughing and talking about ideas," he wrote.

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 Marc Jacobs

 "Thank you for all you have given us," designer Marc Jacobs wrote on Instagram.

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 Stella McCartney

 Fellow designer Stella McCartney posted a few sweet pics in honor of Abloh. "My time knowing you was brief, but you hit me hard with a bolt of deeply inspired impact, true talent and a desire to bring a better meaning to the world of fashion and design," she shared. "You will be missed on so many levels. Rest in peace and fly high… you are and will always be a star with grace and beauty."

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 Eva Chen

 Eva Chen and Virgil became friends after meeting at an event and even created an Instagram filter together. "A lot of words will be used to describe Virgil in the coming days/weeks/years. I’ll always remember him as, yes, a visionary but also kind, generous, and funny. He always wanted to help kids realize their dreams. If Virgil inspired you, please consider donating to his scholarship fund," she wrote.

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 Kid Cudi

 Kid Cudi, who famously wore a dress designed by Abloh on SNL, reacted to the news on Twitter. “He just sent me a text yesterday morning,” he wrote mourning Abloh's death.

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Legendary designer Virgil Abloh died after a long battle with cancer on Sunday, November 28, and tributes have been pouring in from all around the world since news of his passing broke that same day. Virgil, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear and CEO of Off-White, had been an innovator and change-maker in the fashion industry thanks to his talent, artistry, and ability to make others feel accepted and empowered through fashion. Aside from being one of fashion's biggest names, Abloh was also a prominent DJ and music producer. After news of his passing, celebrities, fashion insiders, and musicians who had worked and become friends with Abloh took to social media to share their grief, as well as precious memories of their time together. Below, see some of the most touching tributes to Abloh from the people he touched and inspired.  Bella Hadid  The model posted a gallery of pics of herself and Abloh, including one of them FaceTiming, along with a tribute message. "You broke boundaries and made everything your own. You shared your love infinitely. The way your brain worked was beyond anything, and the way you did every single thing in life for your family, friends, and for the better," she wrote. "We’re gonna miss you a lot V. You really saw me and supported me on every level. As you did to so many of us. An ethereal light. You always inspired to keep pushing, work hard and be kind."  BTS  The South Korean group, who are currently global ambassadors of Louis Vuitton and walked during Abloh's last show for the line, also took to Twitter to share their condolences. The septet wrote that it was "an honor" to work with Abloh and that he was a “true creative genius.”    Kendall Jenner  Kendall, who wore Off-White to the Met Gala in 2018 and was friends with the designer, also posted a handful of photos with Abloh and a beautiful statement. "If you had the privilege of knowing Virgil, you were one of the lucky ones. He was the kindest, most positive, humble, joyful, and full of light person I have ever known," she shared. "He had the most wonderful way of making you feel so special. His genuine smile would warm your heart. To battle his illness privately perfectly explains the type of man he was, he never wanted anyone to worry about him. We have lost a dear friend. No words do my feelings justice at this very moment, but what I can say is that I am absolutely heartbroken. For his family, his kids, his wife, and anyone who cared for him deeply."  Gigi Hadid  "I am heartbroken by the loss of my dear friend, and a friend to the world, Virgil Abloh. He was 1 of 1," Gigi Hadid wrote in her tribute. "His kindness and energetic generosity left a lasting impression on every life he touched— he made everyone feel seen and special. He will be deeply missed, cherished, and celebrated by me and all the people and industries that have been lucky enough to work around &amp; know the true supernova behind this man."    Hailey Bieber  Abloh worked closely with Hailey to design her breathtaking wedding gown and shared several photos of the process along with her tribute post for the late creative. "Virgil completely changed the way I looked at street style and fashion, the way he looked at things inspired me deeply. I will never be able to fully express how grateful I am to have known him and worked with him, from walking on his runways to having him design my wedding dress and all the other amazing moments in between, I felt he was always rooting for me," she wrote. "He was someone who always brought life, charisma, love and fun to any situation, and every room he walked into. A once in a generation creative mind that is so rare and I’ll never forget his impact. We love you Virgil."  Timothée Chalamet  The actor shared a handful of photos as a tribute to Abloh, including one of a text exchange between them and another of them hugging. He also included the Dylan Thomas poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."    Bobby Hundreds  "Everybody has a Virgil story," the designer wrote in his post, calling Vigil a “masterful designer.”  Phillip Lim  "We lost a guardian of culture, fashion, and of humanity today. While we are all still in disbelief, and mourning this massive lost, lets [sic] not let his passing be in vain," wrote the designer, who first met Abloh in 2010 via Kanye West. "Let it be a reminder of living a life of possibilities, of grace, of change. Take what he blazed and continue to break down the barriers. Accept mortality and then make the most of it. Be the change."    Frank Ocean  The musician shared his thoughts to Instagram Stories, writing, "I know grief is love you don't get to express so this is an attempt at expressing it. Love you V. You're a hero."  Billie Eilish  "I'm devastated," Billie wrote on IG Stories, later sharing a photo of herself and Abloh along with three broken heart emojis.  Finneas  Billie's brother Finneas called Abloh an “inspiration to so many,” including himself, in his tribute posted to Twitter.  Pharrell  "Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius," wrote Pharrell in his tribute post. "Your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever."    Kris Jenner  The momager shared a gallery of pics of Abloh, including one of them posing together. "I’m so so saddened and devastated to hear about the passing of our dear friend Virgil Abloh. I’m sending all of my love and prayers to his beautiful family. You are an angel @virgilabloh and we love you," she wrote.  Kylie Jenner  Kylie, on the other hand, reported Kendall's tribute to her IG stories, writing, "This really hurts. We love you, Virgil" alongside a broken heart emoji.    Amanda Gorman  The poet, who wore a gown designed by Abloh for her Vogue cover, wrote, "I count myself so privileged to have met you and to have worn such a beautiful piece by you designed in honor of your grandmother. I knew then I was experiencing the honor of wearing a designer whose work transcends both past and present. To rephrase something you once said, let us paint new pictures where the old ones have been erased."    Kaia Gerber  Kaia posted a beautiful tribute to the designer along with two black and white photos of them together. "In a world where smiles are too rare, and kindness is even rarer, there was you. With your laughter and your light and your positivity," she shared. "I would look to you when it felt like everything was spinning and somehow you always made it go quiet. You saw people, and through your art you gave them the courage to be themselves."  Cynthia Erivo  The actor shared a tribute to the designer on Instagram, calling him "a true creative, a visionary, a dreamer, an example of impossible possibilities."    Russell Westbrook  The athlete posted a pic of himself and Abloh together, also writing that the designer was "a true inspiration."  LeBron James  LeBron shared a group shot with Abloh and a pic of custom Off-White Nikes with "Virgil was here" written on them. “Rest in paradise, legend,” he wrote in his caption.  Adut Akech  The model, who had worked with Abloh on several occasions, shared several shots of herself wearing Abloh-designed pieces, including a stunning tiered ruffled gown. "It was an honor to know and be in your presence, Virgil. To work with you and be in your creative world. Thank you for all that you’ve done for the culture," she wrote. "We’ve lost a real one. But your legacy will live forever."    Drake  "My plan is to touch the sky 1000 more times for you," Drake wrote about his friend. "Love you eternally brother."  Cara Delevingne  The model wrote that she was "in shock" about the news. "This man has done so much for so many people. He lived his life for creation and for others in so many ways. I only hope that with his decision to face this battle in private, that he felt and was surrounded by all the love that the world and the people close to him felt," she shared on Instagram. "You will never be forgotten and you will continue to inspire so many everyday [sic]."    Lenny Kravitz  "You made an indelible mark on this world," wrote the musician.  Venus Williams  The tennis legend wore Off-White on and off the court and was an admirer of Abloh's work. "I always watched everything he did so closely and it inspired me to be better in everything I do. His collections literally brought me to tears because they were so connected so beautiful and so inspiring," she wrote. "I have a feeling everything I do and experience next year will be for Virgil and inspired by Virgil."  Cardi B  Cardi posted an Instagram Stories tribute, saying "He made amazing impact in the fashion industry and on the culture. I don't see anyone ever doing it like him ever again."      Offset  The rapper shared a video of Abloh writing on his Off-White Nike Air sneakers, writing, "thank you for what you have done for our culture and community as a Black man u changed the game in design &amp; fashion you believed in our youth."  Megan Rapinoe  The athlete posted a pic of herself and Abloh in coordinating shades of red. "You changed the world," she said of the designer.  Winnie Harlow  The model posted several shots of herself and Abloh together, writing of the designer, "RIP to a visionary and icon who helped push the culture forward and open doors and break down barriers, who made the next generation of creatives feel anything is possible."    Riz Ahmed  The actor tweeted that Abloh "stretched culture &amp; the changed the game. Thank you for all you did to support so many &amp; how you pushed us to reimagine what’s possible."  Kevin Abstract  The rapper shared that he was "heartbroken" over the news, adding that Abloh "changed the culture forever."  The Weeknd  The Weeknd shared a simple tweet, writing only Abloh's name and adding a few broken heart emojis.    April Reign  "Horrible news about Virgil Abloh. And, of course, thinking about Chad, who was just a few years older. How these Black men suffered in silence," the activist wrote on Twitter. "The barriers they broke, despite the toll it was taking. And what it says about US that they chose to fight silently. F*ck cancer."  CHIKA  The rapper shared just a few words on Twitter.  Kehlani  "Rest in absolute peace," Kehlani tweeted, later lamenting the loss in some other tweets.    Marshmello  Marshmello called Abloh "an absolute legend and visionary" in a Twitter tribute.  Matthew A. Cherry  "41 is way too young," tweeted the filmmaker in reference to Abloh's death.  Edward Enninful  The editor-in-chief of British Vogue shared a touching tribute to the designer on Instagram. "Famously prolific, he always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they - unlike himself - would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in. Virgil believed that anything was possible for humankind, if only we could tear ourselves away from unconscious biases and norms and reassume the imagination we had as children," he wrote. "His achievements won’t just live on. They will continue to evolve, because we are only seeing the beginning of his impact on the creative industries and surrounding world. My thoughts are with his family and all those who loved him. Rest in peace, Virgil, a giant among men."    Victoria Beckham  The designer called Abloh a "true inspiration in so many ways."  Donatella Versace  "The world has lost a fashion superstar. An innovator. A creator for the history books. I am thinking of all your loved ones on this tragic day," wrote Donatella, sharing a pic of herself and Abloh at an event with Naomi Campbell.  Kim Jones  The designer shared memories of working with his friend and fashion colleague. "Many great times spent traveling the world and hanging out in hotel rooms working on the floor and going through Japanese magazines and laughing and talking about ideas," he wrote.    Marc Jacobs  "Thank you for all you have given us," designer Marc Jacobs wrote on Instagram.  Stella McCartney  Fellow designer Stella McCartney posted a few sweet pics in honor of Abloh. "My time knowing you was brief, but you hit me hard with a bolt of deeply inspired impact, true talent and a desire to bring a better meaning to the world of fashion and design," she shared. "You will be missed on so many levels. Rest in peace and fly high… you are and will always be a star with grace and beauty."  Eva Chen  Eva Chen and Virgil became friends after meeting at an event and even created an Instagram filter together. "A lot of words will be used to describe Virgil in the coming days/weeks/years. I’ll always remember him as, yes, a visionary but also kind, generous, and funny. He always wanted to help kids realize their dreams. If Virgil inspired you, please consider donating to his scholarship fund," she wrote.
Bella Hadid, BTS, Kendall Jenner & More Pay Tribute to Virgil Abloh
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/virgil-abloh-tributes
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Trust in Science and Scientists Increased Globally, Poll Finds (Published 2021)
2021-12-01
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 The number of people who said they had “a lot” of trust in science increased by 10 percentage points in East Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. Credit... Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York Times

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https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/planetary-scientists-are-starting-to-get-stirred-up-by-starships-potential/
Planetary scientists are starting to get stirred up by Starship’s potential
2021-12-01
Eric Berger
<div><div>
 <header>
 <h4>
 The ultimate rideshare —
</h4>
 
 <h2>"It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."</h2>
 </header>
 <section>
 <div>
 
<figure>
 
 <figcaption><p><a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/48953947006_02a6ed229b_k.jpg">Enlarge</a> / A rendering of SpaceX's Starship traveling to the Saturn system.</p><p>SpaceX</p></figcaption> </figure>
 
<p>Jennifer Heldmann stared at the computer screens on her desk, watching as a rocket's upper stage slammed into a crater near the South Pole of the Moon. In the name of <em>science</em>, a 2.3-ton chunk of steel struck the Moon with the force of 2 tons of TNT.</p>
<p>It was October 2009, and Heldmann tracked the impact from inside the Science Operations Center at NASA Ames in California. As a 33-year-old planetary scientist, she was working her first major mission for NASA by coordinating observations of the impact with ground-based telescopes.</p>
<p>NASA sought to "touch the ice" with the LCROSS mission. Although the Apollo landings in the 1960s and early 1970s had found a gray and barren world, scientists had since come to believe that pockets of ice were trapped below the rims of craters in permanent darkness at the poles, the remnants of billions of years of cometary impacts. Centaur's mission was to blast one of these craters and see if the scientists were right.</p>
<p>After poring over the data, NASA declared that it had indeed found water in the vapor plume kicked up by the Centaur impact, as well as material ejected by the blast.</p>
<p>For Heldmann, this was a pivotal moment in her career. The experience cemented her interest as a planetary scientist in following the water. "It is truly amazing how the results of that mission have been so profound," she said.</p>
<p>The discovery of water ice on the Moon highlighted an era in which planetary scientists were finding ice and water all over the Solar System—on the ice-encrusted moons of Europa and Enceladus, on and beneath the surface of Mars, and potentially in even more far-flung locations, such as the interior of Pluto or Neptune's largest moon, Triton. As they looked beyond Earth, scientists discovered, water was nearly everywhere.</p>
<p>These discoveries raised all manner of tantalizing prospects. Where there is water—or once was—life might have developed. Scientists were therefore no longer just looking for fossils in long-dry lake beds on Mars; they began seeking out living organisms in the large oceans of Europa, Enceladus, and elsewhere. For human exploration, too, the proliferation of water offered a great opportunity. Where there is water, there are the components for rocket fuel—liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.</p> 
 
<p>In no small way, these discoveries have influenced the focus of NASA's science and human spaceflight programs. NASA has increasingly leveraged its annual planetary science budget, about $3 billion a year, to support missions that may find past or even present life on other worlds. And during the last four years, the space agency has been formulating a plan to send astronauts to the Moon, possibly to extract water there, as a precursor to sending humans to Mars.</p><figure><a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Perspective_view_of_Korolev_crater-1.jpg"></a><figcaption><p><a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Perspective_view_of_Korolev_crater-1.jpg">Enlarge</a> / This image from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express shows Korolev crater, an 82-km-across feature found in the northern lowlands of Mars.</p><p>ESA/DLR/FU Berlin</p></figcaption></figure>
<p>For scientists, there are always more questions than answers. And there are always many more missions they want to fly than funds available to fly them. The ubiquity of water has only heightened scientists' desire to get robots out into the Solar System to definitively find ice deposits and subsurface oceans and to characterize them. Just as we're learning that the Solar System holds far more secrets than we might have imagined—which makes our inability to fly out there and unlock them especially frustrating.</p>
<p>But what if we could?</p>
<p>Some planetary scientists have started warming to the idea that SpaceX's new Starship rocket, with its unprecedented lift capabilities and potentially paradigm-shattering low costs, could open up the Solar System to a new era of exploration. Imagine sending a lander to Europa, which harbors a vast, warm, subsurface ocean. During recent NASA planning meetings, scientists contemplated sending a complex spacecraft, costing billions of dollars, to conduct science on Europa. At best, they were hoping to land a payload of science instruments about the size and mass of a mini-refrigerator there.</p>
<p>With Starship, by contrast, NASA might land a cache of scientific payloads the size of a single-story unfurnished house.</p>
<p>"You can really take advantage of the Starship architecture and get to the outer Solar System in ways we haven't thought about before," Heldmann said. "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."</p>
<h2>Starship’s origins</h2>
<p>Engineers at SpaceX have been working seriously on the development of Starship for about five years, and over the last dozen months or so, they have completed several early test flights. Much technical work remains, but the company appears to be well on its way to delivering a superheavy-lift rocket that is fully reusable, low-cost, and potentially capable of delivering as much as 100 tons to the surface of most bodies in the Solar System.</p> 
 
<p>SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk, view Starship as the key rocket to take humans to Mars and eventually build a self-sustaining settlement there. But such a vehicle would have myriad other uses for science, exploration, and defense purposes.</p>
<p>A highly reliable version of Starship likely remains several years away, but the vehicle could begin a series of orbital test flights in early 2022. NASA's human exploration program now has so much confidence in Starship that the space agency selected the vehicle to serve as the landing system of its Artemis Moon Program. Now, if Starship fails, NASA isn't going back to the Moon.</p>
<p>"Starship can bring unprecedented amounts of payload to Mars and elsewhere," Heldmann said. "Planetary scientists need to be thinking about how we can take advantage of this capability because it’s extraordinary. And if we want to take advantage of these opportunities, to have payloads on the uncrewed test flights, we need to get going."</p>
<p>SpaceX first <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/spacex-organizes-inaugural-conference-to-plan-landings-on-mars/">approached the planetary science community</a> in 2018 with a series of "Mars workshops" that addressed basic questions such as potential landing sites on the planet and gaps in knowledge that need to be filled before people can safely live and work on the surface.</p>
<figure><a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/51371398490_01e950d359_k.jpg"></a><figcaption><p><a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/51371398490_01e950d359_k.jpg">Enlarge</a> / Starship is stacked on top of a Super Heavy booster for the first time in August 2021.</p><p>SpaceX</p></figcaption></figure>
<p>The company invited prominent names from the Mars research community, and several dozen participated. Some had already bought into SpaceX's vision, but others were skeptical. Over time, as SpaceX built and tested prototypes, even some of the skeptics began to buy in, believing that Starship was really going to happen.</p>
<p>"As Starship has begun to seem more real, it has changed people's minds," said Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and Mars expert who participated in the meetings. "Starship being selected for the lunar missions was a huge credibility boost."</p>
 </div>
 
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 The ultimate rideshare —

 Planetary scientists are starting to get stirred up by Starship’s potential

 "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."

 Eric Berger - Dec 1, 2021 11:45 am UTC

 Enlarge / A rendering of SpaceX's Starship traveling to the Saturn system.
 SpaceX

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 Jennifer Heldmann stared at the computer screens on her desk, watching as a rocket's upper stage slammed into a crater near the South Pole of the Moon. In the name of science, a 2.3-ton chunk of steel struck the Moon with the force of 2 tons of TNT.

 It was October 2009, and Heldmann tracked the impact from inside the Science Operations Center at NASA Ames in California. As a 33-year-old planetary scientist, she was working her first major mission for NASA by coordinating observations of the impact with ground-based telescopes.

 NASA sought to "touch the ice" with the LCROSS mission. Although the Apollo landings in the 1960s and early 1970s had found a gray and barren world, scientists had since come to believe that pockets of ice were trapped below the rims of craters in permanent darkness at the poles, the remnants of billions of years of cometary impacts. Centaur's mission was to blast one of these craters and see if the scientists were right.

 After poring over the data, NASA declared that it had indeed found water in the vapor plume kicked up by the Centaur impact, as well as material ejected by the blast.

 For Heldmann, this was a pivotal moment in her career. The experience cemented her interest as a planetary scientist in following the water. "It is truly amazing how the results of that mission have been so profound," she said.

 The discovery of water ice on the Moon highlighted an era in which planetary scientists were finding ice and water all over the Solar System—on the ice-encrusted moons of Europa and Enceladus, on and beneath the surface of Mars, and potentially in even more far-flung locations, such as the interior of Pluto or Neptune's largest moon, Triton. As they looked beyond Earth, scientists discovered, water was nearly everywhere.

 These discoveries raised all manner of tantalizing prospects. Where there is water—or once was—life might have developed. Scientists were therefore no longer just looking for fossils in long-dry lake beds on Mars; they began seeking out living organisms in the large oceans of Europa, Enceladus, and elsewhere. For human exploration, too, the proliferation of water offered a great opportunity. Where there is water, there are the components for rocket fuel—liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

 Advertisement

 In no small way, these discoveries have influenced the focus of NASA's science and human spaceflight programs. NASA has increasingly leveraged its annual planetary science budget, about $3 billion a year, to support missions that may find past or even present life on other worlds. And during the last four years, the space agency has been formulating a plan to send astronauts to the Moon, possibly to extract water there, as a precursor to sending humans to Mars.

 Enlarge / This image from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express shows Korolev crater, an 82-km-across feature found in the northern lowlands of Mars.
 ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

 For scientists, there are always more questions than answers. And there are always many more missions they want to fly than funds available to fly them. The ubiquity of water has only heightened scientists' desire to get robots out into the Solar System to definitively find ice deposits and subsurface oceans and to characterize them. Just as we're learning that the Solar System holds far more secrets than we might have imagined—which makes our inability to fly out there and unlock them especially frustrating.

 But what if we could?

 Some planetary scientists have started warming to the idea that SpaceX's new Starship rocket, with its unprecedented lift capabilities and potentially paradigm-shattering low costs, could open up the Solar System to a new era of exploration. Imagine sending a lander to Europa, which harbors a vast, warm, subsurface ocean. During recent NASA planning meetings, scientists contemplated sending a complex spacecraft, costing billions of dollars, to conduct science on Europa. At best, they were hoping to land a payload of science instruments about the size and mass of a mini-refrigerator there.

 With Starship, by contrast, NASA might land a cache of scientific payloads the size of a single-story unfurnished house.

 "You can really take advantage of the Starship architecture and get to the outer Solar System in ways we haven't thought about before," Heldmann said. "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."

 Starship’s origins

 Engineers at SpaceX have been working seriously on the development of Starship for about five years, and over the last dozen months or so, they have completed several early test flights. Much technical work remains, but the company appears to be well on its way to delivering a superheavy-lift rocket that is fully reusable, low-cost, and potentially capable of delivering as much as 100 tons to the surface of most bodies in the Solar System.

 Advertisement

 SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk, view Starship as the key rocket to take humans to Mars and eventually build a self-sustaining settlement there. But such a vehicle would have myriad other uses for science, exploration, and defense purposes.

 A highly reliable version of Starship likely remains several years away, but the vehicle could begin a series of orbital test flights in early 2022. NASA's human exploration program now has so much confidence in Starship that the space agency selected the vehicle to serve as the landing system of its Artemis Moon Program. Now, if Starship fails, NASA isn't going back to the Moon.

 "Starship can bring unprecedented amounts of payload to Mars and elsewhere," Heldmann said. "Planetary scientists need to be thinking about how we can take advantage of this capability because it’s extraordinary. And if we want to take advantage of these opportunities, to have payloads on the uncrewed test flights, we need to get going."

 SpaceX first approached the planetary science community in 2018 with a series of "Mars workshops" that addressed basic questions such as potential landing sites on the planet and gaps in knowledge that need to be filled before people can safely live and work on the surface.

 Enlarge / Starship is stacked on top of a Super Heavy booster for the first time in August 2021.
 SpaceX

 The company invited prominent names from the Mars research community, and several dozen participated. Some had already bought into SpaceX's vision, but others were skeptical. Over time, as SpaceX built and tested prototypes, even some of the skeptics began to buy in, believing that Starship was really going to happen.

 "As Starship has begun to seem more real, it has changed people's minds," said Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and Mars expert who participated in the meetings. "Starship being selected for the lunar missions was a huge credibility boost."

 Page: 1 2 3 Next →

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 Eric Berger Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA, and author of the book Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. Email eric.berger@arstechnica.com // Twitter @SciGuySpace
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The ultimate rideshare —
 
 "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."
 
 
 
 
 
   Enlarge / A rendering of SpaceX's Starship traveling to the Saturn system. SpaceX  
 
Jennifer Heldmann stared at the computer screens on her desk, watching as a rocket's upper stage slammed into a crater near the South Pole of the Moon. In the name of science, a 2.3-ton chunk of steel struck the Moon with the force of 2 tons of TNT.
It was October 2009, and Heldmann tracked the impact from inside the Science Operations Center at NASA Ames in California. As a 33-year-old planetary scientist, she was working her first major mission for NASA by coordinating observations of the impact with ground-based telescopes.
NASA sought to "touch the ice" with the LCROSS mission. Although the Apollo landings in the 1960s and early 1970s had found a gray and barren world, scientists had since come to believe that pockets of ice were trapped below the rims of craters in permanent darkness at the poles, the remnants of billions of years of cometary impacts. Centaur's mission was to blast one of these craters and see if the scientists were right.
After poring over the data, NASA declared that it had indeed found water in the vapor plume kicked up by the Centaur impact, as well as material ejected by the blast.
For Heldmann, this was a pivotal moment in her career. The experience cemented her interest as a planetary scientist in following the water. "It is truly amazing how the results of that mission have been so profound," she said.
The discovery of water ice on the Moon highlighted an era in which planetary scientists were finding ice and water all over the Solar System—on the ice-encrusted moons of Europa and Enceladus, on and beneath the surface of Mars, and potentially in even more far-flung locations, such as the interior of Pluto or Neptune's largest moon, Triton. As they looked beyond Earth, scientists discovered, water was nearly everywhere.
These discoveries raised all manner of tantalizing prospects. Where there is water—or once was—life might have developed. Scientists were therefore no longer just looking for fossils in long-dry lake beds on Mars; they began seeking out living organisms in the large oceans of Europa, Enceladus, and elsewhere. For human exploration, too, the proliferation of water offered a great opportunity. Where there is water, there are the components for rocket fuel—liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. 
 
In no small way, these discoveries have influenced the focus of NASA's science and human spaceflight programs. NASA has increasingly leveraged its annual planetary science budget, about $3 billion a year, to support missions that may find past or even present life on other worlds. And during the last four years, the space agency has been formulating a plan to send astronauts to the Moon, possibly to extract water there, as a precursor to sending humans to Mars.      Enlarge / This image from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express shows Korolev crater, an 82-km-across feature found in the northern lowlands of Mars. ESA/DLR/FU Berlin  
For scientists, there are always more questions than answers. And there are always many more missions they want to fly than funds available to fly them. The ubiquity of water has only heightened scientists' desire to get robots out into the Solar System to definitively find ice deposits and subsurface oceans and to characterize them. Just as we're learning that the Solar System holds far more secrets than we might have imagined—which makes our inability to fly out there and unlock them especially frustrating.
But what if we could?
Some planetary scientists have started warming to the idea that SpaceX's new Starship rocket, with its unprecedented lift capabilities and potentially paradigm-shattering low costs, could open up the Solar System to a new era of exploration. Imagine sending a lander to Europa, which harbors a vast, warm, subsurface ocean. During recent NASA planning meetings, scientists contemplated sending a complex spacecraft, costing billions of dollars, to conduct science on Europa. At best, they were hoping to land a payload of science instruments about the size and mass of a mini-refrigerator there.
With Starship, by contrast, NASA might land a cache of scientific payloads the size of a single-story unfurnished house.
"You can really take advantage of the Starship architecture and get to the outer Solar System in ways we haven't thought about before," Heldmann said. "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."
Starship’s origins
Engineers at SpaceX have been working seriously on the development of Starship for about five years, and over the last dozen months or so, they have completed several early test flights. Much technical work remains, but the company appears to be well on its way to delivering a superheavy-lift rocket that is fully reusable, low-cost, and potentially capable of delivering as much as 100 tons to the surface of most bodies in the Solar System. 
 
SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk, view Starship as the key rocket to take humans to Mars and eventually build a self-sustaining settlement there. But such a vehicle would have myriad other uses for science, exploration, and defense purposes.
A highly reliable version of Starship likely remains several years away, but the vehicle could begin a series of orbital test flights in early 2022. NASA's human exploration program now has so much confidence in Starship that the space agency selected the vehicle to serve as the landing system of its Artemis Moon Program. Now, if Starship fails, NASA isn't going back to the Moon.
"Starship can bring unprecedented amounts of payload to Mars and elsewhere," Heldmann said. "Planetary scientists need to be thinking about how we can take advantage of this capability because it’s extraordinary. And if we want to take advantage of these opportunities, to have payloads on the uncrewed test flights, we need to get going."
SpaceX first approached the planetary science community in 2018 with a series of "Mars workshops" that addressed basic questions such as potential landing sites on the planet and gaps in knowledge that need to be filled before people can safely live and work on the surface.
     Enlarge / Starship is stacked on top of a Super Heavy booster for the first time in August 2021. SpaceX  
The company invited prominent names from the Mars research community, and several dozen participated. Some had already bought into SpaceX's vision, but others were skeptical. Over time, as SpaceX built and tested prototypes, even some of the skeptics began to buy in, believing that Starship was really going to happen.
"As Starship has begun to seem more real, it has changed people's minds," said Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and Mars expert who participated in the meetings. "Starship being selected for the lunar missions was a huge credibility boost."
 
 
 Page: 1 2 3 Next →
Planetary scientists are starting to get stirred up by Starship’s potential
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/planetary-scientists-are-starting-to-get-stirred-up-by-starships-potential/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/29/health/5-steps-habit-builder-wellness/index.html
How to build a habit in 5 steps, according to science | CNN
2021-11-29
Katy Milkman
<div><div>
 
 
 </div><div>
 
<p>
 <em>Sign up for CNN’s </em><strong><em>Stress, But Less</em></strong><em> newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.cnn.com/specials/series-stress?source=article"><em>Our six-part guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it.</em></a>
</p>
 <p><cite>
 
 CNN
  — 
 </cite>
</p>
 <p>
 Most of us assume those hyper-achievers who are always able to squeeze in their workout, eat healthy foods, ace their exams and pick their kids up on time must have superhuman self-control. But <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-03943-001">science points to a different answer</a>: What we mistake for willpower is often a hallmark of habit. 
 </p>
 <p>
 People with good habits rarely need to resist the temptation to laze on the couch, order greasy takeout, procrastinate on assignments, or watch one more viral video before dashing out the door. That’s because autopilot takes over, eliminating temptation from the equation. Having established good habits, little to no willpower is required to choose wisely. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Sounds great, right? The only catch is that building good habits takes effort and insight. Thankfully, science offers both<strong> </strong>guidance on how to begin and strategies to lighten your lift. Here are a few research-backed steps sourced from my book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Change-Science-Getting-Where/dp/059308375X/">How to Change</a>,” that can set you on the path from where you are to where you want to be. 
 </p>
 
 <p>
 The way you define the goal you hope to turn into a habit does matter. Goals like “meditate regularly” are too abstract, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1982-07527-001">research has shown</a>. You’ll benefit from being more specific about what exactly you aim to do and how often. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Don’t say “I’ll meditate regularly.” Say, “I’ll meditate for 15 minutes each day.” 
 </p>
 <p>
 Having a bite-size objective makes it less daunting to get started and easier to see your progress.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 Now that you have established a specific goal, it’s time to think about what will cue you to follow through. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0003-066X.54.7.493">Scientists have proven</a> that you’ll make more progress toward your goal if you decide not just what you’ll do, but when you’ll be cued to do it, as well as where you’ll do it and how you’ll get there. 
 </p>
 <p>
 A plan like “I’ll study Spanish for 30 minutes, five days a week” is OK. But a detailed, cue-based plan like “Every workday after my last meeting, I’ll spend 30 minutes studying Spanish in my office” is much more likely to stick as a habit. 
 </p>
 
 <p>
 Making this kind of plan reduces the chances you’ll forget to follow through because the when and where in your plan will serve as cues to action that jog your memory. Even better: Put your plan on your calendar so you’ll get a digital reminder. An established, hyper-specific plan also forces you to anticipate and maneuver around obstacles and makes procrastination feel more sinful. 
 </p>
 
 <p>
 When we set out to build a new habit, most of us overestimate our willpower and set a course for the most efficient path to achieving our end goal. Say you hope to get fit by exercising regularly – you’ll likely look for a workout that can generate quick results like grinding it out on a treadmill. But <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/42/6/952/2358882">research has shown</a> you’ll persist longer and ultimately achieve more if you instead focus on finding ways to make goal pursuit <em>fun</em>. 
 </p>
 <p>
 When it comes to exercise, this might mean going to Zumba classes with a friend or learning how to rock climb. If you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, it might mean swapping doughnut breakfasts for tasty smoothies, which can combine multiple servings of fruits and veggies in one delicious drink. Because you are far more likely to stick with something you enjoy and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.3982/ECTA7416">repetition</a> is key to habit formation, making the experience positive is <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/634510">critical</a>, but it’s often overlooked.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 One excellent way to make goal pursuit fun is to try what I call “temptation bundling.” Consider only letting yourself enjoy an indulgence you crave while working toward your goal. For example, only let yourself binge-watch your favorite show while at the gym or enjoy a beloved podcast while cooking healthy meals. <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.2013.1784">My own research</a> shows that temptation bundling improves <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074959782030385X">follow-through</a>; it transforms goal pursuit into a source of pleasure, not pain.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 By the time we put a behavior on autopilot, a lot of us fall into fairly <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417">consistent routines</a>, tending to<a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jpah/10/4/article-p607.xml"> exercise</a>, study or take our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11606-014-2940-8">medication</a> at the same time of day and in the same place. But when you’re in the start-up phase of habit building, contrary to popular opinion, my <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.2020.3706">research suggests</a> it’s important to deliberately insert some variability into your routine. 
 </p>
 <p>
 You’ll still want to have a first best plan – maybe an 8 a.m. meditation session if you’re trying to kick-start a mindfulness habit. But you should also experiment with other ways of getting the job done. Try to mix in a noon session and maybe a 5 p.m. meditation, too. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Successful habit building relies on<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.3982/ECTA7416"> frequently repeating a behavior</a>, and if your routine becomes too brittle, you’ll follow through less often. A flexible habit means you can still do what you need to even when a wrench is thrown in your first best plans – say, a traffic jam on the way to dropping the kids off at school that gets in the way of your morning meditation.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 One way to be flexible that’s<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1509/jmr.15.0231"> proven useful</a> is by giving yourself “emergency reserves.” Emergency reserves are a limited number of get-out-of-jail-free cards for those days when you really can’t squeeze in your 10 minutes of meditation, regular jog or Spanish practice. 
 </p>
 <p>
 It’s more motivating to set a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0003-066X.57.9.705">tough goal </a>for yourself – meditating every day, for instance – than an easy one, according to research.But missing multiple sub-goals along the way can be <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=oPHHwfdVvnwC&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PA99&amp;dq=what+the+hell+effect&amp;ots=TOdbAOsvDj&amp;sig=kyh0fr2ujQfEQSzDxv7IXZiNEZo#v=onepage&amp;q=what%20the%20hell%20effect&amp;f=false">discouraging</a>. A couple of emergency reserves each week give you the flexibility to miss a day when a real emergency arises without getting discouraged and abandoning your objective entirely. 
 </p>
 
 <p>
 This step is obvious but sometimes overlooked. Seek out social support. Social support isn’t just about having cheerleaders and people to hold you accountable – though both can <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/110/Supplement_2/10424.short">add value</a>, so I’d suggest telling your friends and family about your goals. 
 </p>
 
 <p>
 We’re strongly influenced by the behaviors of the people around us, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-07091-021">evidence</a> shows. Want to start running regularly? You’re probably better off joining an established running club than asking a few friends who aren’t yet in the habit of jogging to get in shape with you. People in the running club have already built the habits you want. You can learn from them about what works and gain friends who will make you feel like a slouch when you slack off. 
 </p>
 <p>
 Good habits are <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/600143">contagious</a>, so try to catch some by hanging out with people who are a little ahead of you on the learning curve. It’s important not to get too crazy – if you try to train with marathoners when you’re just hoping to work up to a 5K, I’ve found it can be <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jofi.12258">discouraging</a>. 
 </p>
 <p>
 But in general, research by myself and others shows that finding people to socialize with and <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/708880">emulating</a><strong> </strong>those who have already accomplished what you want to accomplish can make a world of difference. As an added bonus, when you pursue your goals in tandem with people you like, that makes it more fun!
 </p>
 <p>
 Award-winning behavioral scientist <a href="https://www.katymilkman.com/">Katy Milkman</a> is the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, author of “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” co-founder of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and the host of Charles Schwab’s “Choiceology” podcast.
</p>
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 How to build a habit in 5 steps, according to science

 By Katy Milkman , CNN
 Published 4:39 AM EST, Mon November 29, 2021
 Link Copied!
 It's important to write down not only what your goals are, but also when, where and how you'll accomplish them.
 Adobe Stock

 Sign up for CNN’s Stress, But Less newsletter. Our six-part guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it.

 CNN —

 Most of us assume those hyper-achievers who are always able to squeeze in their workout, eat healthy foods, ace their exams and pick their kids up on time must have superhuman self-control. But science points to a different answer: What we mistake for willpower is often a hallmark of habit.

 People with good habits rarely need to resist the temptation to laze on the couch, order greasy takeout, procrastinate on assignments, or watch one more viral video before dashing out the door. That’s because autopilot takes over, eliminating temptation from the equation. Having established good habits, little to no willpower is required to choose wisely.

 Sounds great, right? The only catch is that building good habits takes effort and insight. Thankfully, science offers both guidance on how to begin and strategies to lighten your lift. Here are a few research-backed steps sourced from my book, “How to Change,” that can set you on the path from where you are to where you want to be.

 1. Set a specific goal

 The way you define the goal you hope to turn into a habit does matter. Goals like “meditate regularly” are too abstract, research has shown. You’ll benefit from being more specific about what exactly you aim to do and how often.

 Don’t say “I’ll meditate regularly.” Say, “I’ll meditate for 15 minutes each day.”

 Having a bite-size objective makes it less daunting to get started and easier to see your progress.

 2. Create a detailed, cue-based plan

 Now that you have established a specific goal, it’s time to think about what will cue you to follow through. Scientists have proven that you’ll make more progress toward your goal if you decide not just what you’ll do, but when you’ll be cued to do it, as well as where you’ll do it and how you’ll get there.

 A plan like “I’ll study Spanish for 30 minutes, five days a week” is OK. But a detailed, cue-based plan like “Every workday after my last meeting, I’ll spend 30 minutes studying Spanish in my office” is much more likely to stick as a habit.

 Dana Santas, a mind-body coach in professional sports, has tips to start sharpening your gratitude skill and begin making it an ongoing practice.
 From Heidi Joyner

 Boost your mood with this 5-day gratitude challenge

 Making this kind of plan reduces the chances you’ll forget to follow through because the when and where in your plan will serve as cues to action that jog your memory. Even better: Put your plan on your calendar so you’ll get a digital reminder. An established, hyper-specific plan also forces you to anticipate and maneuver around obstacles and makes procrastination feel more sinful.

 3. Make it fun to repeat

 When we set out to build a new habit, most of us overestimate our willpower and set a course for the most efficient path to achieving our end goal. Say you hope to get fit by exercising regularly – you’ll likely look for a workout that can generate quick results like grinding it out on a treadmill. But research has shown you’ll persist longer and ultimately achieve more if you instead focus on finding ways to make goal pursuit fun.

 When it comes to exercise, this might mean going to Zumba classes with a friend or learning how to rock climb. If you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, it might mean swapping doughnut breakfasts for tasty smoothies, which can combine multiple servings of fruits and veggies in one delicious drink. Because you are far more likely to stick with something you enjoy and repetition is key to habit formation, making the experience positive is critical, but it’s often overlooked.

 Chris Joutbert/Adobe Stock

 How to enjoy working out if you hate exercise

 One excellent way to make goal pursuit fun is to try what I call “temptation bundling.” Consider only letting yourself enjoy an indulgence you crave while working toward your goal. For example, only let yourself binge-watch your favorite show while at the gym or enjoy a beloved podcast while cooking healthy meals. My own research shows that temptation bundling improves follow-through; it transforms goal pursuit into a source of pleasure, not pain.

 4. Foster flexibility

 By the time we put a behavior on autopilot, a lot of us fall into fairly consistent routines, tending to exercise, study or take our medication at the same time of day and in the same place. But when you’re in the start-up phase of habit building, contrary to popular opinion, my research suggests it’s important to deliberately insert some variability into your routine.

 You’ll still want to have a first best plan – maybe an 8 a.m. meditation session if you’re trying to kick-start a mindfulness habit. But you should also experiment with other ways of getting the job done. Try to mix in a noon session and maybe a 5 p.m. meditation, too.

 Successful habit building relies on frequently repeating a behavior, and if your routine becomes too brittle, you’ll follow through less often. A flexible habit means you can still do what you need to even when a wrench is thrown in your first best plans – say, a traffic jam on the way to dropping the kids off at school that gets in the way of your morning meditation.

 Felix Russell-Saw/Adobe Stock

 5 expert tips to stress less this fall

 One way to be flexible that’s proven useful is by giving yourself “emergency reserves.” Emergency reserves are a limited number of get-out-of-jail-free cards for those days when you really can’t squeeze in your 10 minutes of meditation, regular jog or Spanish practice.

 It’s more motivating to set a tough goal for yourself – meditating every day, for instance – than an easy one, according to research.But missing multiple sub-goals along the way can be discouraging. A couple of emergency reserves each week give you the flexibility to miss a day when a real emergency arises without getting discouraged and abandoning your objective entirely.

 5. Find the right kind of social support

 This step is obvious but sometimes overlooked. Seek out social support. Social support isn’t just about having cheerleaders and people to hold you accountable – though both can add value, so I’d suggest telling your friends and family about your goals.

 iStock

 18 comfortable pairs of sneakers to walk all day in (CNN Underscored)

 We’re strongly influenced by the behaviors of the people around us, evidence shows. Want to start running regularly? You’re probably better off joining an established running club than asking a few friends who aren’t yet in the habit of jogging to get in shape with you. People in the running club have already built the habits you want. You can learn from them about what works and gain friends who will make you feel like a slouch when you slack off.

 Good habits are contagious, so try to catch some by hanging out with people who are a little ahead of you on the learning curve. It’s important not to get too crazy – if you try to train with marathoners when you’re just hoping to work up to a 5K, I’ve found it can be discouraging.

 But in general, research by myself and others shows that finding people to socialize with and emulating those who have already accomplished what you want to accomplish can make a world of difference. As an added bonus, when you pursue your goals in tandem with people you like, that makes it more fun!

 Award-winning behavioral scientist Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, author of “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” co-founder of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and the host of Charles Schwab’s “Choiceology” podcast.

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 CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.

Sign up for CNN’s   Stress, But Less   newsletter.   Our six-part guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it. 
  
 
 CNN
  — 
 
 
 Most of us assume those hyper-achievers who are always able to squeeze in their workout, eat healthy foods, ace their exams and pick their kids up on time must have superhuman self-control. But science points to a different answer: What we mistake for willpower is often a hallmark of habit. 
 
 
 People with good habits rarely need to resist the temptation to laze on the couch, order greasy takeout, procrastinate on assignments, or watch one more viral video before dashing out the door. That’s because autopilot takes over, eliminating temptation from the equation. Having established good habits, little to no willpower is required to choose wisely. 
 
 
 Sounds great, right? The only catch is that building good habits takes effort and insight. Thankfully, science offers both guidance on how to begin and strategies to lighten your lift. Here are a few research-backed steps sourced from my book, “How to Change,” that can set you on the path from where you are to where you want to be. 
 
 
 
 The way you define the goal you hope to turn into a habit does matter. Goals like “meditate regularly” are too abstract, research has shown. You’ll benefit from being more specific about what exactly you aim to do and how often. 
 
 
 Don’t say “I’ll meditate regularly.” Say, “I’ll meditate for 15 minutes each day.” 
 
 
 Having a bite-size objective makes it less daunting to get started and easier to see your progress.
 
 
 
 Now that you have established a specific goal, it’s time to think about what will cue you to follow through. Scientists have proven that you’ll make more progress toward your goal if you decide not just what you’ll do, but when you’ll be cued to do it, as well as where you’ll do it and how you’ll get there. 
 
 
 A plan like “I’ll study Spanish for 30 minutes, five days a week” is OK. But a detailed, cue-based plan like “Every workday after my last meeting, I’ll spend 30 minutes studying Spanish in my office” is much more likely to stick as a habit. 
 
 
 
 Making this kind of plan reduces the chances you’ll forget to follow through because the when and where in your plan will serve as cues to action that jog your memory. Even better: Put your plan on your calendar so you’ll get a digital reminder. An established, hyper-specific plan also forces you to anticipate and maneuver around obstacles and makes procrastination feel more sinful. 
 
 
 
 When we set out to build a new habit, most of us overestimate our willpower and set a course for the most efficient path to achieving our end goal. Say you hope to get fit by exercising regularly – you’ll likely look for a workout that can generate quick results like grinding it out on a treadmill. But research has shown you’ll persist longer and ultimately achieve more if you instead focus on finding ways to make goal pursuit fun. 
 
 
 When it comes to exercise, this might mean going to Zumba classes with a friend or learning how to rock climb. If you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, it might mean swapping doughnut breakfasts for tasty smoothies, which can combine multiple servings of fruits and veggies in one delicious drink. Because you are far more likely to stick with something you enjoy and repetition is key to habit formation, making the experience positive is critical, but it’s often overlooked.
 
 
 
 One excellent way to make goal pursuit fun is to try what I call “temptation bundling.” Consider only letting yourself enjoy an indulgence you crave while working toward your goal. For example, only let yourself binge-watch your favorite show while at the gym or enjoy a beloved podcast while cooking healthy meals. My own research shows that temptation bundling improves follow-through; it transforms goal pursuit into a source of pleasure, not pain.
 
 
 
 By the time we put a behavior on autopilot, a lot of us fall into fairly consistent routines, tending to exercise, study or take our medication at the same time of day and in the same place. But when you’re in the start-up phase of habit building, contrary to popular opinion, my research suggests it’s important to deliberately insert some variability into your routine. 
 
 
 You’ll still want to have a first best plan – maybe an 8 a.m. meditation session if you’re trying to kick-start a mindfulness habit. But you should also experiment with other ways of getting the job done. Try to mix in a noon session and maybe a 5 p.m. meditation, too. 
 
 
 Successful habit building relies on frequently repeating a behavior, and if your routine becomes too brittle, you’ll follow through less often. A flexible habit means you can still do what you need to even when a wrench is thrown in your first best plans – say, a traffic jam on the way to dropping the kids off at school that gets in the way of your morning meditation.
 
 
 
 One way to be flexible that’s proven useful is by giving yourself “emergency reserves.” Emergency reserves are a limited number of get-out-of-jail-free cards for those days when you really can’t squeeze in your 10 minutes of meditation, regular jog or Spanish practice. 
 
 
 It’s more motivating to set a tough goal for yourself – meditating every day, for instance – than an easy one, according to research.But missing multiple sub-goals along the way can be discouraging. A couple of emergency reserves each week give you the flexibility to miss a day when a real emergency arises without getting discouraged and abandoning your objective entirely. 
 
 
 
 This step is obvious but sometimes overlooked. Seek out social support. Social support isn’t just about having cheerleaders and people to hold you accountable – though both can add value, so I’d suggest telling your friends and family about your goals. 
 
 
 
 We’re strongly influenced by the behaviors of the people around us, evidence shows. Want to start running regularly? You’re probably better off joining an established running club than asking a few friends who aren’t yet in the habit of jogging to get in shape with you. People in the running club have already built the habits you want. You can learn from them about what works and gain friends who will make you feel like a slouch when you slack off. 
 
 
 Good habits are contagious, so try to catch some by hanging out with people who are a little ahead of you on the learning curve. It’s important not to get too crazy – if you try to train with marathoners when you’re just hoping to work up to a 5K, I’ve found it can be discouraging. 
 
 
 But in general, research by myself and others shows that finding people to socialize with and emulating  those who have already accomplished what you want to accomplish can make a world of difference. As an added bonus, when you pursue your goals in tandem with people you like, that makes it more fun!
 
 
 Award-winning behavioral scientist Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, author of “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” co-founder of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and the host of Charles Schwab’s “Choiceology” podcast.
How to build a habit in 5 steps, according to science | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/29/health/5-steps-habit-builder-wellness/index.html