DIGEST 74: Clapping Back at My Critics!
At Auction July 2-8, 2025
THE REVIEWS ARE IN, for Off Broadway-Myrtle smash hit, THE ARCADES: LIVE!:
This entire display stinks of stupidity and an absent education. Has anyone here read a book or studied history or looked at a Botticelli or questioned a technique or patiently thought their way through an artistic conundrum? Not a chance. This is a generation of know-nothings brought up on hamburgers and porn…”
oof, not good . . .
Lê rarely lets himself get close to the characters, because he seems to wish never to lose sight of the expensive architecture, the lavish furnishings, the travelogue locations, the manicured lighting, the accoutrements that fabricate the sense of ‘order and beauty, luxury, calm, and sensuality.’ All that’s missing is the website offering Ken-and-Vlad tours through the Italian countryside, with a stopover at the Perlman villa.
yikes. I actually do have a web-store though . . .
This show doesn’t operate on the level of moral judgment of what David does. Rather, by drawing us into his vortex it makes us understand the psychic discharge of the quiet boys who go berserk. And it’s a real slap in the face for us when we see David at the end looking pacified. He’s got the rage out of his system—for the moment, at least—and he’s back at work, picking up tables in Repaupo, NJ. It’s not that he’s cured but that the city is crazier than he is.”
OK, I’ll take it! lol ok so those are actually Waldemar Januszczak on USA Today (painting show), Richard Brody (boooo) on Call Me By Your Name, and Pauline Kael (yaaayyy) on Taxi Driver. In point of fact, The Arcades Live was short, sweet, and really fun. Natasha Stagg played Vanna White with a BBPR desk while we listened to some thoughts on And Just Like That; noted hunk Ken Barnett helped us understand what makes a couch gay; Gabriel Held dazzled in Joan Crawford drag; and Vlad Kurylka brought the house down with a rousing rendition of “Big Spender.” I am kind of still astounded that these fabulous performers agreed to stage one of my fever dreams—thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. As Gabriel put it, I play stuff like this out in my head all the time, but generally speaking no one else gets to see. It was fun to show all of you!
Big shoutouts to Jessi Reaves, flirty800, Justin Kray, Jon Eckhaus, Thomas McCarty, and Stevie King for all your help <3
I am taking over my old home, maiden-name.com for a little bit. Click through to check out what’s new. For the solo Tina Potter show, email me for the pdf. And if you act fast and want to see anything IRL, that can be arranged. Also—I think it’s time to paywall the listings. What do you guys think?
For my precious new subscribers: Landed cost (the final cost you pay) = the hammer price (the highest bid) + the premium (a set percentage added to the hammer price that the auction house takes) + shipping (you’re always on the hook for this) + sales tax. To the listings!
I feel like someone should have knocked these off by now. They’re simple: sockets and bulbs with very long fringe. Kind of room divider, kind of floor lamp and ceiling light at the same time.
This is also at Quittenbaum, which really is one of the best. Kind of like a German version of Wright (which is still on my list for claiming the pieces I was trying to consign with them weren’t valuable enough even as I see them peddling MCM dookie for like $100, but that’s for another digest!).
I’m actually a 90s-style vegetarian (I don’t know how to explain this, but this is one of the scarier facts about me), and yet I do wear leather.
If I were ever to get engaged, which is not feeling super “on the horizon” atm, I would get a gold ring from this period. I was actually selling some similar ones at Maiden but there was an issue with someone who may have been trafficking in looted items and I did receive a scary letter from customs…
This is nice. I love a Greek coin detail. Like on the looted booty I was unloading at Maiden. JUST KIDDING. Allegedly unloading at Maiden.
I like this.
And this. I think if you went hyper modern instead of the chains this would be so cool.
Noice.
Can you imagine? I love this.
May the hammer fall ever in your favor!