I struggled to find an art angle for the News of the World story, so here are the rest of the week’s most readables:
- Cy Twombly, already in the news with a show at Dulwich Picture Gallery, made more headlines by dying. Sebastian Smee in the Boston Globe compares his work to 1,000-year old bedsheets, in a good way.
- Poet Alex Galper’s visit to London was to be the “highlight of [his] lifeâ€, but the UK Border Agency had other ideas. The Guardian reports on a serious problem, mentioned on this blog last week.
- Art should influence the people who influence the people in power, according to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Art Info assess his recent 40-page interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist.
- Don’t expect to see Mr and Mrs Henk at a gallery near you any time soon. Frieze tells us the hypothetical couple are being used to launch a fierce attack on the arts in the Netherlands.
- Why did Warhol paint soup cans? Christopher Knight appears to have built a theory on one quote from de Kooning. But I still want to believe his ingenious piece in the LA Times.
- Mandatory second link to the Guardian: Ben Lewis on Charles Saatchi. Definitely worth a read.
- Apparently the US secret services don’t like artistic interventions in Mac stores. Huffington Post is one of several blogs which carry the story of Kyle McDonald’s ill fated project.
- Man steals Picasso without even the decency to put on socks. So reports the Independent. You’d have to steal a Giacometti bare-chested to top that.
- Artist Dave Greber has a top tip: rub your eyes and you can watch a live feed from the cosmos. Alternatively you can watch his trippy video at Hyperallergic.
- Finally, a letter from an 18-year olf Syd Barrett showed up on Twitter (via @alexispetridis). It’s been online since March so apologies if you’ve seen it, but it is quite endearing.