$500,000 for a painting by Hunter Biden

 Who parts with that much cash for the work of a new, not exactly critically acclaimed, painter? We may never know. Hunter’s new career raises obvious ethical issues for his father and, in an attempt to avoid accusations of influence peddling, the Biden administration has asked the gallerist to keep all information about the buyers and prices of Hunter’s work confidential. The gallery has also agreed to reject offers that seem suspiciously generous.

Even without those safeguards in place, I highly doubt Biden’s policies would be affected by sales of his son’s terrible paintings. (The New York Times generously described them as “leaning towards the surreal”, which is a polite way of saying: “Looks a bit like a Covid-stricken Mr Blobby vomited on a canvas.”)

Read the article by Arwa Mahdawi here.

Wanna go to an art fair?

I'm joneysing to do an art fair! Indoor or Outdoors! So gonna do both next month!

My work will be showcased at the Art on Paper fair in New York City - together with the spectacularly talented Judith Peck, Sheila Giolitti, and Matthew Langley! If you wanna score some VIP passes to the fair, drop me an email. September 9-12 - details here.

I'm also gonna do the 2021 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival - September 10–12. Now in its 30th year, the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival highlights more than 200 artists who are "creating unique, handmade works in the fields of fine art and fine craft. In the competitive artist application process, each submission is reviewed by a juror panel, made up of visual arts leaders, artists, and practitioners, who select top ranked artists across ten categories to present their work at the Festival.

Drawing upon a robust exhibitor and collector base coupled with Tephra ICA’s contemporary art foundation, the Festival has become one of the region’s most anticipated events taking place in the outdoor environment of Reston Town Center. Save the date and join us this year for one-on-one experiences, performances, and exciting special events.

Hours

September 10–12, 2021

10am–5pm, rain or shine

Reston Town Center in Reston, VA.

Safety precautions will be implemented this year including but not limited to, hand sanitation stations, vaccination requirements for Festival volunteers, and encouragement of social distancing and face mask-wearing in artist booths. 

Check out the 2021 roster of Festival artists here.