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Ben Davis

@benadavis.bsky.social
1.3K followers 68 following 137 posts

Writer. Author of '9.5 Theses on Art and Class' and 'Art in the After-Culture.' My newsletter at substack.com/@benstoppable

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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Things that interest me today: Anna Weyant brings country to the Met Opera, @harikunzru.bsky.social on 25 years of 9/11 art, "Thucydides Fever Dream," more news.artnet.com/artnet-bulle...
news.artnet.com
Anna Weyant's Blood-Stained Banner Graces the Met Opera | Artnet News
Today's Artnet Bulletin: a $10M fund fighting Trump's D.C. makeover, a history of art since 9/11, a sharp new show on U.S.-China art ties.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
10 quick reviews of art from the new season... news.artnet.com/market/chels...
news.artnet.com
Highs and Lows of Just-Opened Gallery Shows in NYC | Artnet News
Reviews of 10 New York gallery shows opening the fall art season, from Yvonne Jacquette's aerial landscapes to George Rouy's busy nudes.
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Dana Ivey @dariv.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Yes, the wall texts at the Met Museum are SO hard to read, the contrast is nil, the font too small, and the lighting poor--as if the Museum is embarrassed about the art. Wall Labels Are in a Sorry State. Here’s How to Fix Them news.artnet.com/art-world/mu... - @benadavis.bsky.social @metmuseum.org
news.artnet.com
Wall Labels Are in a Sorry State. Here's How to Fix Them | Artnet News
Why are museum wall labels so bad? A critic examines the jargon-heavy texts plaguing top biennials—and how to fix it.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I've been nursing this one for a while! news.artnet.com/art-world/mu...
news.artnet.com
Wall Labels Are in a Sorry State. Here's How to Fix Them | Artnet News
Why are museum wall labels so bad? A critic examines the jargon-heavy texts plaguing top biennials—and how to fix it.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
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
What I Wrote in August 2026
“Greater New York” and the “AIM Biennial,” the “actively managed audience” in Aspen, I get NYRFed, more.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
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
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
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...
news.artnet.com
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
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...
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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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
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
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
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...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
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...
news.artnet.com
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
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
The Case for M.C. Escher
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · July 9 · 28m
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Talking with Tarek Atoui on the idea of the sonic object in contemporary art podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Thoughts on 'Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur' news.artnet.com/art-world/gi...
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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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Talking with Roberta Smith about criticism and galleries and much more podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
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...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
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
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
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...
nybooks.com
Visions of Depravity | Ben Davis
On Ceija Stojka at the Drawing Center
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
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...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
On the big Marcel Duchamp show at the MoMA news.artnet.com/art-world/ma...
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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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Talking about Raphael at the Met for the Art Angle this week podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My personal letter for last month: everything I wrote, and the various podcasts substack.com/home/post/p-...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
On Raphael, Renaissance, and Reformation news.artnet.com/art-world/ra...
news.artnet.com
At the Met, Raphael’s Beauty Has a Dark Side | Artnet News
Considering the meanings of “Raphael: Sublime Poetry” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
The Art Angle round: Whitney Biennial talk, a new Baroque art star, and Banksy Unmasked podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com
Whitney Biennial Trends, a New Baroque Art Star, and Banksy Unmasked
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · March 26 · 43m
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The Met introduces Raphael as "one of the greatest influencers of all time"
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Some thoughts on the decay of reality and its causes news.artnet.com/art-world/re...
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'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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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"New Humans" at the new New Museum is a wild ride! Lots to think about news.artnet.com/art-world/ne...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
8 further thoughts on the 2026 Whitney Biennial's highlights and subtle throughlines news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
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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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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Here are pics of all the art in this year's Whitney Biennial: news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
news.artnet.com
Here's All the Art in the 2026 Whitney Biennial | Artnet News
What's the big survey show all about? Take our visual walkthrough and judge for yourself.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
What is it about this painter that made the attention of these big shows converge on her now? Talking with Taína Cruz for the Art Angle... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Thoughts on this Whitney Biennial: highs, lows, and vibes news.artnet.com/art-world/wh...
news.artnet.com
The 2026 Whitney Biennial Just Wants You to Feel Something | Artnet News
Curated by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer, this year's show marks a "feelings-first" approach to art.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The Art Angle round-up pod for Feb... here's the preview and the link podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Thoughts on the mood of the upcoming big U.S. biennials: news.artnet.com/art-world/20...
news.artnet.com
What Will Define Art in 2026? Key Themes From the Big U.S. Shows | Artnet News
Hunting for a theme in the three big upcoming U.S. exhibitions: Greater New York, the Whitney Biennial, and the Carnegie International.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
My piece on the beautiful Wifredo Lam show at MoMA, and "syncretic surrealism" news.artnet.com/art-world/wi...
news.artnet.com
How Wifredo Lam Made Surrealism More Surreal Than the Surrealists | Artnet News
“Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream" at the Museum of Modern Art offers a chance to consider his unique brand of syncretic surrealism.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Talking about and and magic mushroom. Podcast link here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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farfama @farfama.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Forgot to cite this quote. It's from the book 'Art in the After-Culture: Capitalist Crisis and Cultural Strategy' by @benadavis.bsky.social. It's an incredible analysis of the current state of art. The quote is aptly at the very end of the 'AI Aesthetics and Capitalism' chapter.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
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
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
My picks for some art words of the year news.artnet.com/art-world/ar...
news.artnet.com
9 Terms That Helped Navigate a Confusing Year in Art | Artnet News
Ben Davis on the art words of the year, from "antimemetics" and "elite capture" to "red-chip" and "slurry."
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Thoughts on a year of looking at which artists are showing in the most museums news.artnet.com/art-world/mu...
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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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
My Museum Artist list for December 2025 news.artnet.com/art-world/to...
news.artnet.com
These 15 Artists Are Having the Biggest Moment at U.S. Museums Right Now | Artnet News
The quarterly Museum Artist list looks at which artists are showing at multiple shows in the United States.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
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...
news.artnet.com
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
End-of-the-year Art Angle round-up cast. Promo here, and link below... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
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...
podcasts.apple.com
The Magic of 'The Artist's Way'
Podcast Episode · The Art Angle · 12/04/2025 · 29m
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Newsletter digest of what I wrote in November 2025, plus some other miscellany substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
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...
news.artnet.com
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
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
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gregorg @greg.org · 25/11/2025
Here is all you need to know about how this gig came together
Buncha white ladies in white taking a massive selfie with some Andrew Tate ass dude in tats at mar a lago Buncha white ladies in white party dresses and blowouts doing a group 3/4 turn cross your ankles portrait in front of the dog rescue that is the excuse for a party at mar a lagoThe executive director of the us pavilion at the Venice biennale  camps in a white party dress and blowout as she leans into a black clad tat bro carrying a tiny birkin in the crook of his elbow on the way into a shindig at mar a lago Just three glammed up white ladiesdoing a 3/4 twist bend knee huddle portrait in party white in a tacky as shit and corrupt as hell ballroom at mar a lago, the petite lady at left is now the director of the us pavilion of the Venice biennale, the others are squealing in excitement I’m sure
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
"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...
news.artnet.com
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?
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
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...
news.artnet.com
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.
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Ben Davis @benadavis.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
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...
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