Culture Wars and AI’s Art Power Play

Show notes for today's episode of The Daily Art Download — your ten minute crash course in today's art world news. Yoko Ono’s most famous performance art piece cuts both ways in Los Angeles https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/07/21/yoko-ono-cut-piece-mpa-redcat-broad-los-angeles Comment | How much can one artist take from another before it is copyright infringement? https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/07/21/when-is-appropriation-pastiche-or-copyright-infringement E.U. Withdraws Venice Biennale Funding Over Russia’s Return https://news.artnet.com/art-world/eu-cancels-venice-biennale-funding-2789489 At the Art + Tech Summit, Christie’s Pins Its Future on AI Billionaires Who Aren’t Buying Art… Yet https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/christies-art-tech-summit-2026-ai-wealth-art-market-1234793113/ ‘Do You Love America?’: Smithsonian Museum Leader Grilled Over Gender, Diversity, Patriotism at Congressional Hearing https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/smithsonian-museum-leader-us-congressional-hearing-1234793035/ The Art Institute of Chicago to Cut Its Entire Custodial Staff https://hyperallergic.com/the-art-institute-of-chicago-to-cut-its-entire-custodial-staff/ Long-Lost Artworks by Chilean Muralist Julio Escámez Are Slowly Being Uncovered and Restored https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/long-lost-art-by-chilean-muralist-julio-escamez-restoration-1234793027/ Trump-Backed Federal Council Aims to Reduce Protections of Historic Sites https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/trump-backed-federal-council-aims-to-reduce-protections-of-historic-sites-1234792998/ Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara Is Free https://hyperallergic.com/luis-manuel-otero-alcantara-is-free/ Is Italy’s Famed Ancient ‘Warrior of Capestrano’ a Mussolini-Backed Fake? https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/warrior-of-capestrano-icon-ancient-italian-heritage-mussolini-backed-fake-1234792883/