The Rake’s progress: last week in gossip

Introducing Rakewell, Apollo’s wandering eye on the art world. Look out for regular posts taking a rakish perspective on art and museum stories.

Comedian Phil Jupitus has swapped pop quizzes for Pop art. Sort of. The Never Mind the Buzzcocks star has recorded a short documentary on Eduardo Paolozzi to tie in with the Whitechapel Gallery’s current show on the Scottish artist. In the course of the five-minute film, Jupitus travels around London seeking out Paolozzi’s work.

Investigating the artist’s famous mural at Tottenham Court Road station, Jupitus admits that the work had previously escaped his attention. ‘I’ve never really seen this before,’ he says, gesturing at the mural. ‘And walking down the platform now, I realise why. This is the eastbound platform of Tottenham Court Road. Whenever I was on the eastbound platform, I was going home. So I was drunk… sorry.’

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Klaus Biesenbach is no fan of cluttered interiors. Speaking to the New York Times, the MoMA PS1 director explains that his Manhattan apartment contains little more than a bed, a desk and a few chairs. ‘I was always that sparse,’ Biesenbach says. ‘I remember once I had a burglary, and I called the authorities and they said, “What was stolen?” They saw the place was completely empty. I said my disc player and my sneakers were stolen.’ Thieves of New York, you have been warned.

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Following in the footsteps of Marinetti, Dalí and Olafur Eliasson, Georgia O’Keeffe has (posthumously) become the latest artist to have a cookbook published. Entitled Art at the Table: Dinner with Georgia O’Keeffe, the tome includes some of the artist’s favourite recipes, from borscht with sour cream to chocolate and walnut brownies. ‘When we bring her favourite dishes to our table, can it help us rethink the role of food, art and nature in our own lives?’ asks Robyn Lea, who compiled the recipe book. Personally, Rakewell can’t wait to find out.

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Most art critics love a press trip, particularly if it involves a visit to Venice. But once in a while, you just have to say no…

Dodged the bullet. So glad I declined to review Damien Hirst in Venice… https://t.co/4CFR43jGyi

— Adrian Searle (@SearleAdrian) April 6, 2017

You and me both …. https://t.co/6fE2BT2iFf

— Louisa Buck (@loubuck01) April 7, 2017

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