Art Movements, published every Thursday afternoon, is a roundup of must-know news, appointments, awards, and other happenings in today’s chaotic art world.
Tina Rivers Ryan Steps Down From Artforum
I take no pleasure in saying “I told you so.” Really, I don’t. But I was hardly shocked by this week’s news that Tina Rivers Ryan, who was named editor-in-chief of Artforum in 2024 after the dumpster fire that was the magazine’s handling of an open letter in support of Gaza, was stepping down (Daniel Wenger and Rachel Wetzler will step in as co-editors, scrapping the editor-in-chief title altogether). It is almost like firing your previous editor-in-chief in suspect circumstances, issuing a paltry statement making it clear that WE, PENSKE MEDIA, DO NOT SUPPORT PALESTINE!, and then acting like nothing happened while over 700 writers agreed to boycott your publication, was not really setting Rivers Ryan up for success. She crossed the picket line by accepting the role, and she clearly knew what she was getting into, so my sympathy is limited; still, I think we can all agree that the shitstorm at Artforum is not the making of any single individual but rather the result of a crumbling ethical infrastructure years in the making. In case you forgot the pre-Velasco-firing history, or have scrubbed it from your memory as a trauma response, here’s a refresh: In 2017, Artforum‘s former publisher, Knight Landesman, was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee and at least nine other women. Landesman resigned after years of getting away with his behavior, but remained a co-owner of the company, and Artforum settled the case in 2021 for an undisclosed sum. The following year, Artforum was acquired by Penske Media Corporation (PMC), owned by Jay Penske, the son of Trump donor Roger Penske, who infamously accepted a $200 million investment from a Saudi state-backed company. PMC’s first order of business was to kill the companion literary magazine Bookforum (which was later salvaged by The Nation). Artforum has not responded to our inquiry about the reason for Rivers Ryan’s departure. In a statement on Instagram, she cited a “restructuring” of Artforum‘s editorial leadership … Anyway! What’s the moral of the story? Say it with me, kids: Support independent art journalism.
Studio Museum Names Artists in Residence
The Studio Museum in Harlem has announced its 2026 artists-in-residence, the first cohort to participate in the program at the museum’s new home, inaugurated last November. Simonette Quamina, Taylor Simmons, and Derriann Pharr (whose mesmerizing mixed-media work is pictured above) will work out of the J. Bruce Llewellyn Artist in Residence Center from March through October.
What Else Happened?
- Louis Fratino is now represented by David Zwirner Gallery.
- Debra Wimpfheimer was named executive director of the Queens Museum, just three weeks after former leader Sally Tallant announced her departure. Read more at Hyperallergic.
- The National Gallery of Canada announced Sherry Farrell Racette as its inaugural Audain Indigenous Curatorial Scholar in Residence.
- The Philadelphia Museum of Art appointed Katherine Anne Paul as curator of Indian and Himalayan Art. Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Maggie Fairs and CFO Valarie McDuffie both resigned this week, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Frieze New York revealed the 65 galleries participating in its upcoming 2026 edition, which, unfortunately for all of us, will once again take place at The Shed.
- Ali Eyal will receive the $100,000 Mohn Award, presented by the Hammer Museum and Made in LA 2025. Carl Cheng will receive the Career Achievement Award, and Greg Breda will receive the Public Recognition Award, chosen by visitors to the biennial exhibition.
- The University of Tennessee, La Factoria, Inc., and 25 other organizations will receive Arts in Community grants from South Arts.
Wildcard
“I want a creepy, expensive shirt designed by Jeff Koons,” said no one ever. Stella McCartney’s poorly timed collaboration with the artist, who was recently revealed to have attended a dinner party at Jeffrey Epstein’s home, includes a tee printed with one of his poodle sculptures and the words “Doggy Style,” and another featuring his 2006 artwork of a girl riding a dolphin and the phrase “Slippery When Wet.” The collection items range in price from $395 to $1,690. Why, Mr. Koons, why!?
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