Open Tabs: 10.24.25
Projects, links, and notes worth saving this week across art, design, and lesbian creative culture.
This Week’s Open Tabs: women are outspending men on art, São Paulo is having a design moment, and UNESCO just launched a museum for stolen art.
Women Are Outspending Men on Art
UBS data shows women spent 46% more on art and antiques than men in 2024. In the U.S., over half of the works in women’s collections are by female artists. The report also shows that younger collectors are skipping galleries and auctions, buying straight from artists on Instagram or in studios instead. It will be interesting to see how galleries respond to this new generation… Article →
“What do we do with 632 wool skirts?”
Wool Skirts features 632 wool skirts collected over three generations, from the 1940s to the 1990s. The show looks at how fashion, labor, and gender have evolved over time, transforming a massive archive into a space for rethinking how clothes hold history and care. It includes reworked designs by 21 artists and designers and is on view through November 30. Exhibition →
The Slow Death of the New York City Public Bench
Anna Kodé traces how NYC benches changed from public gathering spots into tools for control. Many have been redesigned to stop people from lying down or resting too long, showing how small design choices shape public life. Article →
How to Work Better
This week NYC designer Teruko Kushi posted this 1991 artwork by Peter Fischli and David Weiss: “How to Work Better” And it just felt like the advice that I needed, and so perhaps you need it too:
UNESCO’s Virtual Museum for Stolen Art
UNESCO launched the Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects, an online archive showing 3D reconstructions of artworks that were stolen or trafficked. It helps people trace lost cultural treasures and learn more about the global art trade.
Ruth Asawa at MoMA
MoMA’s new retrospective of Ruth Asawa features over 300 works spanning six decades, from her wire sculptures to paintings and public projects. Co-organized with SFMOMA, it’s the largest solo show by a woman artist in the museum’s history. Exhibition →
São Paulo’s Creative Boom
Monocle highlights São Paulo’s growing design scene, driven by young artists, galleries, and collectives. The feature includes voices like Lola Maria Tulle of Aalvo Gallery (🫶!!), part of a new wave of designers shaping the city’s creative identity. Read →
Modern Dadaist Movement?
TikTok users argue Gen Z and Gen Alpha are reviving a modern Dada movement built on irony and anti-aesthetic experimentation. Watch →
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Future Nature at GLO Modern
I stopped by GLO Modern last week, an experimental gallery and modern-day souvenir shop that shares its space with the neon light studio GLO Studio. The mix of glowing fabrication and thoughtful exhibition gives the place a very special energy. Founded by Lora Appleton and Lena Imamura, their inaugural exhibition Future Nature was just extended through December 10 by appointment. Info →
Ten Unspoken Rules of Art World Etiquette
Elephant Magazine asked PR experts how to move through the art world with a little more grace. Adam Abdalla from Cultural Counsel says “Treat everyone as a VIP.” The young curator today could be the museum director tomorrow. ;) Read →
