The week in art news, celeb special: Taylor Swift’s V&A show, Bennifer sell art collection, Kendall Jenner barefoot at Louvre and more…

Taylor Swift is adding a new London show… at the V&A. The exhibition, opening on 27th July, will feature costumes and accessories on loan from the singer’s personal archive, including custom cowboy boots from her 2007 country era to the jet-black dress worn in the video for Fortnight (2024). Earlier this year, the V&A put out an ad for a “Swiftie superfan advisor” to help curate the museum’s collection of Taylor Swift merch and fan art. Let’s see if it’s paid off.

Streets shut around Tate Modern as glass panels fall from Neo Bankside towers. Two panels appear to have fallen from the residential development on Holland Street, opposite the Tate Modern, with one reportedly missing a woman by just 3 metres. The gallery and the luxury flats already have a shaky relationship; the gallery was forced to close its newly-opened viewing platform after residents won a privacy case in the Supreme Court.

Jacqueline de Jong dies, 85. The Dutch artist’s death was announced by Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. De Jong rose to prominence in her role as editor of 1960s leftist magazine, the Situationist Times. She later developed an artistic practice that ranged from painting, printmaking, sculpture and drawing to jewellery and publishing. In 2019 the Stedelijk Museum held a major retrospective and in 2023 she was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

She in art galleries showing feet: taking time out from Paris’ Couture Fashion Week, Kendall Jenner and BF Bad Bunny went on a private late-night tour of the Louvre. In pics posted to Jenner’s Instagram, the supermodel can be seen standing in front of Paolo Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana (1563) and Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa… barefoot. Whether this was a practical choice or simply some sugar for the associated perverts and press is another question.

Death, Debt, Divorce: Page Six reports Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are selling off their art collection. With divorce allegedly on the horizon, the collection of Bennifer 2.0 is on the market. What’s in it is only known to a few insiders, we’re left with the rumours, but if you fancy dropping us a hint about what to expect on the auction block, get in touch: info@plastermagazine.com.

Eric Adams, world’s greatest mayor, sometime vegan, believer in cosmic gems that power the city of New York, agrees to restore $53M funding for the arts. The money was due to be cut from the 2025 budget, but after months of conversations with the New York City Council, the mayor agreed to a new budget, restoring $53M for cultural institutions and museums, and more for the city’s libraries and parks.

Florida Man says “sexual” Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival made him veto arts budget. Governor Ron DeSantis justified cancelling the state’s entire $32M arts budget, saying that it was an “inappropriate” use of taxpayer money. DeSantis appears to be referencing drag events held as part of the festival. However, Artnews notes that the festival probably wasn’t in line to receive any state funding anyway. Depending on which way the US election goes, could we see more of this moralising censorship?

Artists join the Starmer Army: Antony Gormley gave £500,000 in non-cash donations (aka, art) to the Labour Party ahead of this year’s snap election, The Art Newspaper reports. A statement given to the paper by Labour named other artist donors: Ryan Gander, Maggi Hambling, Lubaina Himid, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Brian Clarke and Rachel Whiteread.

Last weekend, performance artist and skincare influencer Marina Abramović called on Glasto attendees to hold a seven minute silence to create a moment of peace in a world of conflict. “There are wars, there is famine, there is protest, there is killing,” Abramović said. “Here, we will try to do something different.” An admirable cause, but was the goofy CND logo outfit necessary?

Later that night… Bristol stencil scribbler Banksy launched an inflatable boat filled with mannequins into an audience of Idles fans in the middle of their song ‘Danny Nedelko’, which features the lyrics, “My blood brother is an immigrant. A beautiful immigrant.” Whatever the message was — pro or anti boats (?) politicians couldn’t seem to decide — it was a little lost in the crowd of wide-eyed ravers.

Remember web3? It’s going great! Fairchain, an art authenticating service based on the blockchain, is shutting down. The company was founded in 2019 with the admirable aim of tracking ownership, eliminating forgeries, enforcing artist resale fees, and reducing risk. It received support from investors and artists, such as Eric Fischl. However, the company has now announced that they will be closing and shutting down all services on 1st August.

Christie’s summer sales: the auction house recently cancelled their usual summer evening sale, instead pouring their effort into the charity auction of Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe and her custom-designed playing cards. It paid off, with the sale beating all expectations: the pre-sale estimate of £155,000-£245,000 was smashed by a total of £369,000 (£465,000 with fees). All proceeds are going to causes that Westwood supported throughout her life: The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières and Greenpeace.

Pompidou New Jersey cancelled. The French modern art gallery was intending to open a satellite space in Jersey City in early 2024. The first in North America. However, the project was repeatedly delayed, and was recently estimated to cost $200M. The State’s Economic Development Authority has now cut all funding, saying the plan would be financially untenable.

Manifesta 15 announces artists and programme. This year, the nomadic arts biennial will take place between the 8th September to the 24th November, in twelve cities across the Barcelona metropolitan area. These will be split into three themed groups, ‘Balancing Conflicts’, ‘Cure and Care’, ‘Imagining Futures’, with events focussing on each of the participating cities.