Introducing Rakewell, Apollo’s wandering eye on the art world. Look out for regular posts taking a rakish perspective on art and museum stories.
A bit of a boob at the V&A, where a member of staff asked a breastfeeding mother to ‘cover up’ in the museum’s courtyard over the weekend. Tweeting as @vaguechera, the woman was quick to point out just how many representations of naked breasts appear in the V&A’s collection:
Flashed a nanosecond of nipple while #breastfeeding and was asked to cover up in @V_and_A courtyard. Am perplexed…. pic.twitter.com/T6VIRQbgrC
— Vaguechera (@vaguechera) August 5, 2017
Happily, director Tristram Hunt got in an apology quickly:
.@vaguechera V sorry. Our policy is clear: women may breastfeed wherever they like, wherever they feel comfortable & shld not be disturbed.
— Tristram Hunt (@TristramHuntVA) August 5, 2017
*
Rumours that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg may be mulling a run at the US presidency in 2020 have not gone down without complaint among the country’s more conservative artists. One artist, ‘Sabo’, known for lampooning liberal causes, has begun selling posters with the slogan ‘F*ck Zuck 2020’. And according to Mashable, he’s doing a roaring trade.
*
It may come as a surprise to learn that Donald Trump’s signature is gracing the walls of Jordan Stein’s cutting-edge space in San Francisco. But you can rest easy: the president has not in fact broken into conceptual art. The forgery of the president’s John Hancock, which covers the walls of the gallery, comes courtesy of artist Lutz Bacher. As Trump himself might declare: ‘Fake!!!’
*
The Mona Lisa has been pressed into all manner of causes over the years. But cricket? Meet Moeena Lisa, a homage to the England all-rounder Moeen Ali that recently made an appearance during a Test match at the Oval:
Behold…”The Moeena Lisa!”
Think they are onto something @MoeenAli! pic.twitter.com/nKvZwuYGVT
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 29, 2017
Got a story for Rakewell? Get in touch at rakewell@apollomag.com or via @Rakewelltweets.
Unlimited access from just $16 every 3 months
Subscribe to get unlimited and exclusive access to the top art stories, interviews and exhibition reviews.
Pilgrims’ progress? The Vatican Jubilee has frustrated Romans and tourists alike