From TNR, Jed Pearl on the year in (books on) art: Not only are they beautiful to look at, but a couple of them are also truly insightful. When an artist retires, how long is too long? "I’m just a garrulous old woman": Anne Bell, who helped save Europe’s art heritage, tells of her remarkable life. Art without the artist: Today's art world is filled with "originals" that an artist never touched. From The Hindu, an article on art as spectacle: Despite increasing interest, the autonomy and subversive potential of art seem threatened. Arts study a culture shock: Oxford University reports idea of upper class forming cultural elite no longer valid. Homies are where his art is: The barrio figurines left their creator rich but unfulfilled — then he cast his brother as a model of mutual redemption.
