The Art Angle

Chris Kraus is one of the most well-known contemporary art writers. She is also an important taste-maker, co-editor of independent publisher Semiotext(e), which played a key role in introducing French theory to U.S. audiences. But Kraus is probably best known today as a novelist. Her 1997 autobiographical novel I Love Dick became a buzzy literary reference in the 2010s, and a model for autofiction. It was even made into an Amazon show. This fall, Kraus put out a new novel, titled The Four Spent the Day Together. It has a cryptic three-part structure that I think I should set up. The first part focuses on a young woman named Catt Greene. Drawing heavily on Kraus’s own life, it describes a childhood growing up in Connecticut, being bullied, and dreaming of leaving the hardships of her depressing lower-class life behind through experiments with drugs and sex, activism and art. The second part focuses on Catt many decades later, now an art critic and novelist who has found unexpected success with a novel called I Love Dick, which is being made into an Amazon show. But it also focuses on the character of Paul, Catt’s husband, an addiction councilor who struggles with addiction himself, which slowly tears the two apart. Like the real-life Kraus, the character Catt Greene owns properties in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which she rents out. Like Kraus, Greene is attacked by online critics in the late 2010s for being a landlord. This leads to Part 3 of the book. Feeling demonized, and that her own life is running out of raw material to turn into literature, Catt Greene finds herself drawn to investigating a real-life murder in bleak rural Minnesota. The character of Catt Greene, and Kraus through her, attempt to reconstruct the grisly facts of the case, and try to make sense of it. That’s probably enough set-up. Chris Kraus joins national critic Ben Davis to talk about her writing, her life, and her new book.

We are back this week with our monthly edition of the Art Angle Round-up, where co-hosts Kate Brown and Ben Davis are joined by a guest to parse some of the biggest headlines in the art world. As we close out a busy calendar year—and for the last roundup of the year—we are reviewing all of 2025 and the trends, themes, and stories that defined it with Andrew Russeth, Artnet Pro editor and art critic. It's been a whirlwind of a year. We take a look at the art market, where slumped sales, gallery closures, and existential dread dominated the business up until November, when New York’s fall auctions saw the narrative take a turn, something that seemed to sustain across the primary market at Art Basel Miami Beach. We discuss what this could mean for 2026. In the realm of politics, Trump 2.0 began, which ushered in a wave of policy shifts, cultural tensions, and uncertainty that reverberated across the art world, from federal arts funding to museum governance and international cultural exchange. We also ask whether the art world did finally go post-woke, a question Davis posed at the top of the year, the return of digital art, and the ongoing power of red chip art. And it was a year of profound transformation for institutions, which are facing a multi-front crisis due to the changing expectations from the public, exploding costs, and a shifting political landscape. And, of course, there are also some fun stories in the mix, because this is the art world, a place that is known to be rather unusual.

Millions of people know The Artist's Way. First published in 1992, the book began as notes for a class that its author, Julia Cameron, taught on creative self-discovery or, as she sometimes prefers to call it, “creative recovery.” It found a huge audience, and today you can find Artist’s Way groups all over the world. Cameron’s original The Artist’s Way offered a 12-week path towards overcoming artistic blocks. The book was subtitled “A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity,” and it spoke of plugging into a current of what she called “spiritual electricity.” But her techniques were practical and easy to grasp. Rituals from The Artist’s Way such as starting your day by writing out three pages of unedited text, known as "doing your Morning Pages," have become part of the creative process of many, many artists, musicians, and writers. More than three decades after its publication, The Artist’s Way continues to find new followers, and even got a new bump of popularity during the 2020s. And Julia Cameron herself has returned this year with The Daily Artist’s Way, offering a new way in for fans. Cameron agreed to speak to national critic Ben Davis to revisit the origins of her famous method and how she’s tweaking it now in this new book.

You've been hearing a lot about the Louvre lately. Last month, thieves broke into the Paris Museum in broad daylight when the museum had just opened and made off with eight pieces of royal jewelry. The spectacular heist captured the world news cycle and the imagination of the internet. But why are people so obsessed with the Louvre in general? What is it about this museum in particular? We decided to re-air a recent episode where we look at the enigmatic institution and dive into the many secrets and stories that it holds. The Louvre is among the largest, most-visited, and best-known museums in the world, and for nearly too many reasons to count. It’s home to some of the most celebrated works of art, from the Venus de Milo to the Mona Lisa. Its blended contemporary and historic architecture is astounding. And it also has a truly formidable past, stretching back through time, well before the building became a museum in 1793. An institution and collection that has been a quiet witness to so much history and change is bound to have stories to tell. Elaine Sciolino, contributing writer and former Paris bureau chief for the New York Times, has captured many of these stories in her newest book, Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the World’s Greatest Museum, which came out in April with Norton & Company. Sciolino is acclaimed for her chronicles of French history, and she’s the author of the New York Times bestseller The Only Street in Paris, The Seine, and La Seduction. And at the Louvre, she spoke to everyone, from the guards to the lead curators, and received unprecedented access to rooms I didn’t even know existed. Senior editor Kate Brown caught up with Elaine, who is based in Paris, to discuss the enigmatic and ever-enchanting Louvre, and what she learned from her exploration of its many halls, backrooms, and basements.

Last year, Jack Hanley—one of New York’s most beloved and idiosyncratic gallerists— announced he would close his gallery after 37 years in business. The news landed with both surprise and sadness: Hanley has always been a disruptor, a dealer with a sharp eye for fresh talent, who followed instinct over market logic. A gem of the New York art scene and beyond. Over the decades, Hanley gave early shows to artists like Günther Förg, Christopher Wool, Sophie Calle, and Christian Marclay—and all of that was long before they became art-world names they are now. He helped define the San Francisco scene of the 1990s, championed artists who blurred lines between high and low and made challenging work; and more recently, even gave the digital artist Beeple his first-ever gallery show. As a former Grateful Dead roadie, avid orchid grower, art fair founder, and having run galleries in several cities, he’s seen a lot. And played music with more than a few art dealers. Hanley joins senior editor Kate Brown to discuss transformation and continuity in the art world and art industry. We talk about what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what keeps art interesting, even as the market has grown more absurd.