Elizabeth Holmes meme culture has migrated to the gallery circuit, with the Theranos founder’s now-viral “Why would I deceive you?” line inspiring an art-world riff on a familiar theme of trust, power, and persuasion. If you spend time in museums and galleries, the line may ring a bell. Our team reimagined the meme through an arts lens.
This edition also looks at labor developments at three New York museums, a major construction milestone at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a critic’s take on archipelagic thinking at a Maine exhibition.
For readers in New York City, note an evening of studio visits and artist conversations on September 30 at the International Studio & Curatorial Program. Members can reserve a spot.
Why Would the Art World Deceive You?
“Why would I deceive you?”
The question, posed by convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes in an interview teased by Nathan Fielder, has resurfaced online and caught the attention of artists and museum-goers alike. The flat, unwavering delivery feels uncannily familiar in a field where power brokers can overshadow artists and staff. Our editors gave the trending Elizabeth Holmes meme a playful twist for the arts community. | Valentina Di Liscia
News
- Unionized employees at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Folk Art Museum have voted to authorize a strike if they do not receive what they consider fair contract offers from their institutions, according to union announcements.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art has broken ground on its forthcoming Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art, a project designed by architect Frida Escobedo, the museum said.
From Our Critics
The Many Islands of “America”
An exhibition bringing together art from Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and their diasporas addresses colonization, enslavement, migration, and related histories, writes critic Aruna D’Souza.
Guides
10 Art Shows to See in DC This Fall
Highlights include Carlotta Corpron’s photography of light, Ahn Chang-Hong’s reflections on Korean history, Black women reinterpreting Shakespeare, and three mid-century New York painters working by the sea. | Emma Cieslik
ICYMI
15 Fall Art-ennials, From St. Louis to Dakar
From a photography show devoted to New York City at night and an Indigenous-led festival honoring the Mississippi River to the inaugural Bienal de Yucatán, here are biennials and triennials to see around the world. | Phillip Pyle, Anna Lee, and Rhea Nayyar
Reader comment: “After reading Stromberg’s review here, I am struck by the irony of using his filter of defining what narrative art is or should be, to suggest Lucas’s filter is incomplete. No museum will ever be complete to fulfill all viewers’ preconceived notions of what ‘art’ or ‘narrative’ is or should be. Lucas appears to have chosen a less combative pathway to define narrative which, in today’s world, I appreciate.” —Susan Simon on “LA’s Lucas Museum Displays ‘Narrative Art’ for the Few, Not the People”