Banksy Strikes Again— With Huge Museum Show

British artist's exhibit got much hype, but only because he's famous, say critics

(NEWSER) - “Bad boy of British art" Damien Hirst decided to put his headline-grabbing, conceptual art projects aside and return to painting. Critics, however, are not impressed with the exhibition of 25 new paintings, which opened today:

• “There are many painters in evening classes much worse than Hirst,” writes Tom Lubbock in the Independent. “On the other hand, you'd find quite a few who were better, too. To try to be accurate: Hirst, as a painter, is at about the level of a not-very-promising, first-year art student.”

Materials by Patti Smith, Ramones showcase cultural shift

(NEWSER) - New York’s Museum of Modern Art is showcasing the gritty glamour of the city’s 1970s and early ’80s music scene, where punk, New Wave, DIY, and noise rock ruled, Rolling Stone reports. New Yorkers were feeling alienated—the city was bankrupt in 1975; President Ford told it to “drop dead"—but that helped inspire “completely honest” art, says one rocker. More»

Serene Polynesian land draws modern Gauguins, artist's fans

(NEWSER) - Tucked into French Polynesia is Hiva Oa, the Marquesan island that French painter Paul Gauguin made his home 100 years ago. Remnants of Gauguin litter the remote settlement of 2,000 people, as do heaps of skulls left from its violent past. But today, Hiva Oa serves as a serene destination for modern escape artists, Matthew Link writes for Time. More»

New York couple makes wanting an art form

(NEWSER) - When Justin Gignac and Christine Santora wanted a pair of gold aviators, they painted a picture of the sunglasses and sold it for $243.84—then went out and bought the pair, for $243.84. The New York artists have amassed other luxuries, like dinner at Nobu, in the same fashion—but have also raised money for charities and Barack Obama, the Independent reports. More»

Piano's addition for Art Institute called his best in a decade

(NEWSER) - This weekend the Art Institute of Chicago opens a mammoth new modern wing designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. Nicolai Ouroussof praises Piano's mix of "Modern and classical themes," and "towering glass-and-steel facade, with its floating roof and excruciatingly slender columns" straddling gritty railroad tracks. The New York Times' critic calls the building one of Piano's best, "the closest he has come in at least a decade to achieving his near-classical ideal." More»