Ben Davis
benadavis.bsky.social
Ben Davis
@benadavis.bsky.social
Writer. Author of '9.5 Theses on Art and Class' and 'Art in the After-Culture.' My newsletter at https://substack.com/@benstoppable
This is happening on Wednesday... talking with @thegraymarket.bsky.social about the trends we think are emerging in 2026. Come by, hang out, and talk about art
January 20, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Thoughts on a year of looking at which artists are showing in the most museums news.artnet.com/art-world/mu...
Thoughts on a Year of Tracking the Top 'Museum Artists' | Artnet News
Following the ups and downs of 2025 in museum programming, and looking for what's stayed the same, and what might be changing.
news.artnet.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:48 PM
A random flurry of Jeffrey Epstein's art just popped up at auction, so I guess we know where that sculpture of a bride on a rope comes from now
news.artnet.com/art-world/je...
Jeffrey Epstein's Janky Art Pops Up at Auction, and Here's What We Learned
A New Jersey auction has just revealed more details about the ghoulish and junky art collection of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
news.artnet.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:22 AM
End-of-the-year Art Angle round-up cast. Promo here, and link below... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
December 12, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Talked to Julia Cameron about 'The Artist's Way,' Morning Pages, creative clusters, believing mirrors, and art-making vs. therapy
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Magic of 'The Artist's Way'
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · 12/04/2025 · 29m
podcasts.apple.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Newsletter digest of what I wrote in November 2025, plus some other miscellany substack.com/home/post/p-...
Essays of November 2025
The mystery org behind Trump's Venice pick, Guatemala's biennial reviewed, the Jeffrey Epstein/Leonardo da Vinci art auction connection, video reviews, more.
substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The Biennale de Arte Paiz is making a big push in Guatemala... my take on this year's edition:
news.artnet.com/art-world/bi...
Highs and Lows of Guatemala's Scaled-Up Biennale de Arte Paiz
Curator Eugenio Viola's vision for the 24th Biennale de Arte Paiz, “El Arból del Mundo,” balances regional advocacy with universal myths.
news.artnet.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Small but funny thing to me: American Arts Conservancy has fixed the amateur-hour typo from its founding press release I mentioned yesterday, but even doing this, they STILL fail to put in the open quotation mark
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Ben Davis
Here is all you need to know about how this gig came together
November 25, 2025 at 6:17 PM
"What Is the Mysterious New Group Behind Trump’s Venice Biennale Pick?" Some observations about the American Arts Conservancy news.artnet.com/art-world/am...
What Is the Mysterious New Group Behind Trump's Venice Biennale Pick? | Artnet News
What is the American Arts Conservancy? Who are its advisors? Why is a pet foods entrepreneur in charge of the U.S. Venice Biennale pavilion?
news.artnet.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM
I spent a bunch of time trying to figure out that Epstein email about the sale of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi.' Here's what I think it means (and doesn't mean)
news.artnet.com/art-world/tr...
What Those Jeffrey Epstein Emails About Leonardo's 'Salvator Mundi' Really Mean | Artnet News
Emails reveal that Epstein was speculating about the $450-million sale of Salvator Mundi—and whether it was connected to Trump.
news.artnet.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
With "Nigerian Modernism" getting rave reviews at the Tate, I talked to Chika Okeke-Agulu about Nigeria's midcentury art avant garde. Here's the promo and the link podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
November 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
This month's Art Angle end-of-month news round-up: Louvre heist, Euro fairs, Sora video art podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Round-Up: Louvre Heist!, Europe's Art Market Reboot, and the Queasy Art of Sora
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · 10/30/2025 · 34m
podcasts.apple.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Australian art groups have risen up in opposition to moving towards an A.I. policy closer to the U.S. one
news.artnet.com/art-world/co...
After Fierce Outcry From Arts Groups, Australia Changes Course on A.I. | Artnet News
A proposed law change in Australia would have moved Australia towards a U.S.-style system when it comes to A.I. Artists objected.
news.artnet.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Jeanette Andrews is basically a genre all of her own. Interviewing her here about the touchpoints between magic and art. Here's the link and the promo:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
October 24, 2025 at 4:13 PM
This week's Art Angle is me interviewing the curator of the De Young Museum's big "Art of Manga" show. Promo below, link to the episode here podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
October 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
A take on take on creativity and the Sora 2 A.I. video app news.artnet.com/art-world/so...
October 15, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Since it seems to be coming up a lot, I went back to dig up some details from the 1937 "Degenerate Art Show" to see what the lessons are
news.artnet.com/art-world/de...
The Disturbing Lessons of the 1937 ‘Degenerate Art’ Show | Artnet News
7 points to keep in mind when the specter of the 1937 "Entartete Kunst," or "Degenerate Art" show, is invoked today.
news.artnet.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:19 PM
My take on 'Sixties Surreal' at the Whitney: camels, sex, and social revolution
news.artnet.com/art-world/si...
‘Sixties Surreal’ at the Whitney Explores a Forgotten Side of the 1960s
'Sixties Surreal' at the Whitney surfaces a lot of art from an important time. It's more vibes than anything else—but what vibes!
news.artnet.com
September 26, 2025 at 3:26 PM
What was the “Mouvement Flou”? Some thoughts on a very fun Man Ray show at the Met news.artnet.com/art-world/ma...
Man Ray at the Met: A One-Man Art Movement | Artnet News
Discover the Man Ray Met Museum exhibition “When Objects Dream,” showcasing iconic Rayographs, surreal objects, and innovative experiments.
news.artnet.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I picked through several thousand art shows at several thousand museums, and here are the artist names that turn up the most this month at U.S. museums
news.artnet.com/art-world/mo...
These 15 Artists Are the Biggest at U.S. Museums Right Now | Artnet News
From hundreds of museum exhibitions, these artists are having the best September 2025, from Jeffrey Gibson to Teresa Baker.
news.artnet.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Ben Davis
Art Critic @benadavis.bsky.social watched about 3.5 hours of AI generated video of founding fathers, part of White House & Prager U right wing propaganda collab. news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
The White House Proposes Weird A.I. Paintings as the Future of Patriotic Education | Artnet News
The Founders Museum is a project of PragerU, now installed in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Here's what it looks like.
news.artnet.com
September 2, 2025 at 9:17 PM