Nara's Big-Headed Kids, a Painter's Death and a Museum on Facebook

By Daniel Okafor

Architectural Digest says Yoshitomo Nara's merchandise has pushed his big-headed child characters into young people's visual vocabulary at an unheralded level. The magazine calls them "so familiar they seem to belong to everyone." That's fame measured in ashtrays, not auction results.

AD notes that Nara's art is "something of a fixture in homes featured in AD," with works hanging on the walls of Usher and Kris Jenner. The proof of ubiquity, though, is the merch. Design influencer Nick Lowry, the article reports, hangs his Nara "Too Young to Die" ashtray on the wall. Like a painting. The object has crossed from souvenir to display piece, which is either democratization or inflation of the art object. Take your pick.

What killed Lucien Smith?

On Thursday, the New York City medical examiner's office ruled that painter Lucien Smith, 37, died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and oxycodone. Gallerist Bill Powers shared text messages with the New York Times in which Smith described having "bad anxiety attacks" and being "burnt out" from running his restaurant, Food.

The texts read like a warning delivered too quietly. A painter of Smith's generation, running a restaurant while managing anxiety, dead at 37.

Who was Michael Ward Stout?

Lawyer Michael Ward Stout, who died last month, receives the New York Times obituary treatment. Stout entered art law in 1974, becoming Salvador Dalí's lawyer and leading legal action against Dalí counterfeits. He built his reputation chasing fakes before most of the market admitted they existed.

Stout became most famous for his work with Robert Mapplethorpe, advocating for the photographer during the 1990s "culture wars" (the congressional and legal battles over public funding of controversial art). He later helped secure Mapplethorpe's legacy, negotiating deals with museums.

Can you buy a museum on Facebook Marketplace?

Yes. One "Museum, lightly used" is still listed for $65,000 on Facebook Marketplace. The buyer gets the Museum of the Philadelphian, a just-closed pop-up dedicated to celebrating the spirit of the City of Brotherly Love. Its motto: "No One Likes Us, We Don't Care."

The deal includes all the exhibits. The centerpiece is a statue of Jason Kelce, the Super Bowl–winning Philadelphia Eagles star. That's a museum's entire collection for the price of a mid-range car — admittedly, a car with a cult following.

Which abstract painters are on view?

Artnet's Instagram gallery walks continue. This week's covers three famed abstract painters:

• Elaine de Kooning at Berry Campbell
• Mary Lovelace O'Neal at Boesky
• Brice Marden at Gagosian

Writer Ben Davis names his favorite in a video that runs under a minute. Colleague Min Chen takes over tomorrow's digest.