Roberta Smith, one of the nation’s leading art critics, will step down from her post as co-chief art critic of the New York Times. She had contributed to the Times for 38 years, officially working for the publication for 32 of them, and had been co-chief art critic since 2011.
On her Instagram, Smith wrote, “I’ll still contribute short reviews to the Times every couple of months and, if further ideas occur, can also write about those. In my coals-to-Newcastle-life, I will have more time to pursue my number one interest, which is going to galleries and museums, looking at stuff. But this will be the first time since 1972 – with a few breaks — that I won’t have regular writing commitments, which I can barely comprehend.”
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She continued, “I think I can say that art has kept me young – or something close. I look forward to seeing if live music, dance and theater can do the same. We who have art in our lives in any form are incredibly lucky. But the real luck may be having people who love and obsess about art so completely in our lives.”
Her husband, New York art critic Jerry Saltz, said on his Instagram, “I am biased but believe that @robertasmithnyt is the best pure art critic alive. The directness, integrity, conciseness, power of observation, ability to parse differences and conditions, love of art, respect for artists, and obsession for how things are made make her indispensable and irreplaceable. She has been at the Times since 1986 – 38 years of memorable weekly deadlines, regular obituaries, and critic-notebooks.”
According to the Times’s announcement, Smith had written more than 4,500 essays and reviews since being hired in 1991.
It wasn’t clear whether her post would be filled. She currently serves as co-chief art critic alongside the Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Holland Cotter.
Smith, now in her 70s, is widely read and well-regarded. Her writing career dates back to the ’70s, when she contributed to Artforum, Art in America, ARTnews, the Village Voice, and other publications of note, and she has since then cultivated a reputation for stylish, incisive criticism that is notably shorn of artspeak that tends to pervade art writing.
“I think that criticism teaches people to be critical,” she once said. “It’s essential to a democracy in a way. I don’t want to overblow what I do, but it’s like you’re demonstrating one way of being critical within this certain area, and hopefully, it will get people to look critically.”
When she was made co-chief art critic of the Times in 2011, two decades after she was officially hired by the publication, she made history as the first woman to hold that title.
Among the accolades she has won is the Rabkin Foundation’s lifetime achievement award, which comes with $50,000.
Barbara Graustark, the art editor of the New York Times, said in a statement, “Over more than 50 years, Ro has anointed the new, celebrated the overlooked, and held institutions accountable on many fronts, including representation and acquisitions, while bringing fresh context to marginalized areas of art-making, especially outsider art and craft.”
Smith’s departure is the second major one for an art critic at a New York–based general interest publication in the past few years. Peter Schjeldahl, the longtime art critic for the New Yorker, died while holding the post in 2022, leaving a void that was filled last year by Jackson Arn.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
