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
My personal newsletter of things I wrote in August 2026. You can subscribe here if you want the digest in the future as well...
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What I Wrote in August 2026
“Greater New York” and the “AIM Biennial,” the “actively managed audience” in Aspen, I get NYRFed, more.
benstoppable.substack.com
September 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM
My personal newsletter of things I wrote in August 2026. You can subscribe here if you want the digest in the future as well...
benstoppable.substack.com/p/what-i-wro...
benstoppable.substack.com/p/what-i-wro...
Morning Bulletin for today: the World Art Cities Index, Brooklyn Museum's $75 Manga Pass, the art engagement-farming epidemic, more...
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news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
A New Power Ranking of Art Cities—and Other Art World Matters
Today's Artnet Bulletin: A new art cities ranking, how much do artists earn in a year, and the engagement farming drowning art online.
news.artnet.com
September 1, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Morning Bulletin for today: the World Art Cities Index, Brooklyn Museum's $75 Manga Pass, the art engagement-farming epidemic, more...
news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
My Bulletin for Tuesday: Edi Rama's heel turn, Laurie Simmons does Zyn, Jim Nollman's orca art, partying with the Neo-Luddites, more news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
An Art-Statesman's Heel Turn—and Other Art World Matters | Artnet News
Plus, Laurie Simmons does ZYN, Sean Parker's art shuts down a street, and Jim Nollman makes beautiful art with orcas.
news.artnet.com
August 26, 2026 at 4:35 PM
My Bulletin for Tuesday: Edi Rama's heel turn, Laurie Simmons does Zyn, Jim Nollman's orca art, partying with the Neo-Luddites, more news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
My Bulletin for Tuesday: the Natalie Portman movie 'The Gallerist,' October uncovers 'soft censorship' in DC, the Catholic Universities Art Triennial, Document Journal vs. Russian hackers, and YouTube legend Bobby Fingers
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news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
Natalie Portman's Art Basel Satire Gets a Release Date—and Other Art World Matters | Artnet News
For today's Artnet Bulletin: "soft censorship" in D.C., the Vatican's Catholic Universities Art Triennial debuts, and Bobby Fingers is back.
news.artnet.com
August 11, 2026 at 2:24 PM
My Bulletin for Tuesday: the Natalie Portman movie 'The Gallerist,' October uncovers 'soft censorship' in DC, the Catholic Universities Art Triennial, Document Journal vs. Russian hackers, and YouTube legend Bobby Fingers
news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
Some morning links to a Keith Haring vote in Philly, @apollo-magazine.com on art's great Penelopes, NewCrits's advice for first gallery shows, @chariotrider.bsky.social's museum in 'Doom,' more
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news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
Will Philly Protect Its Beloved Keith Haring? And Other Art World Matters
Also in today's Artnet Bulletin: an imperiled Keith Haring mural, art history's great Penelopes, a museum built in 'Doom,' and more.
news.artnet.com
July 21, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Some morning links to a Keith Haring vote in Philly, @apollo-magazine.com on art's great Penelopes, NewCrits's advice for first gallery shows, @chariotrider.bsky.social's museum in 'Doom,' more
news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
Talking with Trevor Paglen about "The Society of the Psyop," his new book for @versobooks.bsky.social, "How to See Like a Machine," plus my experience with his new hypnosis-based art project, "Voyager" podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
July 17, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Talking with Trevor Paglen about "The Society of the Psyop," his new book for @versobooks.bsky.social, "How to See Like a Machine," plus my experience with his new hypnosis-based art project, "Voyager" podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Links to stories I find interesting today: the @metmuseum.org's Raphael record, the Gugg's bacteria problem, Juliana Halpert on the "synchronic" LACMA, @mastroianni.bsky.social's theory of cultural stagnation... news.artnet.com/art-world/ar...
Raphael Is the Met's Post-Pandemic Prince! And Other Art World Matters | Artnet News
Artnet News Bulletin: Raphael's does numbers for the Met, bacteria found at the Guggenheim, a big theory of bad art, more.
news.artnet.com
July 13, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Links to stories I find interesting today: the @metmuseum.org's Raphael record, the Gugg's bacteria problem, Juliana Halpert on the "synchronic" LACMA, @mastroianni.bsky.social's theory of cultural stagnation... news.artnet.com/art-world/ar...
For the Art Angle... talking with Jo Lawson-Tancred about "The Case For M.C. Escher"
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The Case for M.C. Escher
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · July 9 · 28m
podcasts.apple.com
July 10, 2026 at 3:55 PM
For the Art Angle... talking with Jo Lawson-Tancred about "The Case For M.C. Escher"
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Talking with Tarek Atoui on the idea of the sonic object in contemporary art podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
June 26, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Talking with Tarek Atoui on the idea of the sonic object in contemporary art podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Thoughts on 'Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur'
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news.artnet.com/art-world/gi...
What's Going on With the Met’s Odd New Giacometti Show? | Artnet News
'Giacometti at the Temple of Dendur' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a feather-light premise. That seems to be the point.
news.artnet.com
June 16, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Thoughts on 'Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur'
news.artnet.com/art-world/gi...
news.artnet.com/art-world/gi...
Talking with Roberta Smith about criticism and galleries and much more podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...
June 15, 2026 at 9:38 PM
Talking with Roberta Smith about criticism and galleries and much more podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...
Talking with the great @cmonstah.bsky.social about the new LACMA and museum architecture now. Preview and link below
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
May 15, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Talking with the great @cmonstah.bsky.social about the new LACMA and museum architecture now. Preview and link below
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
Was too swamped and brain-fried after the intense looking-and-writing process to post this... but here was/is my first take on the Venice Biennale
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news.artnet.com/art-world/ve...
First Impressions of a Venice Biennale Torn Apart by the Present | Artnet News
What does the 61st Venice Biennale, "In Minor Keys," feel like? Our critic offers some first impressions of the Koyo Kouoh-curated event.
news.artnet.com
May 11, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Was too swamped and brain-fried after the intense looking-and-writing process to post this... but here was/is my first take on the Venice Biennale
news.artnet.com/art-world/ve...
news.artnet.com/art-world/ve...
The @nybooks.com launched a new "In the Galleries" page, which is very cool, to cover art--and I'm very happy to help them launch it (along with the great Dawn Chan) www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
Visions of Depravity | Ben Davis
On Ceija Stojka at the Drawing Center
www.nybooks.com
April 24, 2026 at 5:59 PM
The @nybooks.com launched a new "In the Galleries" page, which is very cool, to cover art--and I'm very happy to help them launch it (along with the great Dawn Chan) www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
Talking with Martha Schwendener about the media theory of Vilem Flusser, the prophet of post-literate, post-historical image culture:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
April 10, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Talking with Martha Schwendener about the media theory of Vilem Flusser, the prophet of post-literate, post-historical image culture:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
On the big Marcel Duchamp show at the MoMA news.artnet.com/art-world/ma...
Are We Too Reverent of Marcel Duchamp? | Artnet News
MoMA's giant "Marcel Duchamp" exhibition looks for a new reason to return to the 20th century's most-cited artist.
news.artnet.com
April 8, 2026 at 8:27 PM
On the big Marcel Duchamp show at the MoMA news.artnet.com/art-world/ma...
Talking about Raphael at the Met for the Art Angle this week
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podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
April 3, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Talking about Raphael at the Met for the Art Angle this week
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
My personal letter for last month: everything I wrote, and the various podcasts substack.com/home/post/p-...
April 1, 2026 at 2:27 PM
My personal letter for last month: everything I wrote, and the various podcasts substack.com/home/post/p-...
The Art Angle round: Whitney Biennial talk, a new Baroque art star, and Banksy Unmasked
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podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Whitney Biennial Trends, a New Baroque Art Star, and Banksy Unmasked
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · March 26 · 43m
podcasts.apple.com
March 27, 2026 at 4:37 PM
The Art Angle round: Whitney Biennial talk, a new Baroque art star, and Banksy Unmasked
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
The Met introduces Raphael as "one of the greatest influencers of all time"
March 24, 2026 at 9:36 PM
The Met introduces Raphael as "one of the greatest influencers of all time"
Some thoughts on the decay of reality and its causes
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news.artnet.com/art-world/re...
'Reality Decay’ Is at the Root of All the Bad News | Artnet News
The Epstein emails, the Iran War, and the A.I. onslaught all show society breaking due to a single cultural pathology.
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March 24, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Some thoughts on the decay of reality and its causes
news.artnet.com/art-world/re...
news.artnet.com/art-world/re...
"New Humans" at the new New Museum is a wild ride! Lots to think about news.artnet.com/art-world/ne...
March 19, 2026 at 10:09 PM
"New Humans" at the new New Museum is a wild ride! Lots to think about news.artnet.com/art-world/ne...
8 further thoughts on the 2026 Whitney Biennial's highlights and subtle throughlines
news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
The Tensions Seething Beneath the Surface of the 2026 Whitney Biennial | Artnet News
After a second visit, here are 8 more thoughts on the themes and highlights of the Whitney's closely watched survey.
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March 17, 2026 at 8:34 PM
8 further thoughts on the 2026 Whitney Biennial's highlights and subtle throughlines
news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...