{"id":6512,"date":"2021-01-29T14:46:06","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T14:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/art-world-roundup-pokemon-cards-set-auction-record-man-arrested-for-break-in-at-the-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-and-more\/"},"modified":"2021-01-29T14:46:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T14:46:06","slug":"art-world-roundup-pokemon-cards-set-auction-record-man-arrested-for-break-in-at-the-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/art-world-roundup-pokemon-cards-set-auction-record-man-arrested-for-break-in-at-the-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Art World Roundup: Pok\u00e9mon cards set auction record, man arrested for break-in at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"
This week\u2019s Art World Roundup looks at a record-setting series of Pok\u00e9mon cards, a City of London decision to remove statues of two men tied to the transatlantic slave trade, and a Kara Walker sculpture that plays a major role in FKA twigs video. Also, the USPS is honouring Emilio S\u00e1nchez with a stamp series, Basel art spaces call on government to ease up on lockdown restrictions, an online auction of things you just won\u2019t believe, and Boston police arrest man related to odd break in at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Were you among the millions of kids (and a lot of adults, too) who latched onto Pok\u00e9mon? If so, you might be kicking yourself for having opened every pack, used the cards until they were bent, and eventually thrown away or sold them off after a set of unopened first-edition cards sold for $408,000. In total the record-setting set includes 396 original cards which are split into 36 booster packs containing 11 cards each. Released in 1999 by game publisher Wizards of the Coast, the cards set a world record when they sold at Heritage Auctions in Dallas as part of their \u201cComics & Comic Art Signature Auction\u201d that included 16 lots of Pok\u00e9mon memorabilia. In total, the Pok\u00e9mon collectibles brought in a total of $1.3 million. The cards were in \u201cgem mint\u201d condition, the highest level of classification. \u201cDue to their low print run, these box sets have become extremely scarce, especially those still in the original sealed state,\u201d wrote<\/a> the auction house. \u201cIt is considered the pinnacle of Pok\u00e9mon box collecting.\u201d During the bidding battle, the auctioneer, Brian Wiedman, stated that the \u201cPok\u00e9mon craze<\/a>\u201d was \u201calive and well,\u201d which for Pok\u00e9mon lovers around the world, won\u2019t come as a surprise.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hardly after the ink has dried on new UK legislation<\/a> that would make it more difficult to remove or relocate statues of problematic historical figures, the City of London motioned to remove two statues of British politicians with ties to the transatlantic slave trade. A task force brought together by the City of London Corporation, which oversees London\u2019s historic city centre, was asked to assess the history and legacies of William Beckford and Sir John Cass. Both Beckford and Cass have statues at the Guildhall building and the Corporation has now voted to remove them. Beckford served as mayor of London twice, but heavily profited off of the plantations he owned in Jamaica. Cass was a member of Parliament in the 17th<\/sup> century who also profited off of the transatlantic slave trade, particularly through ties to the Royal African Company. The City of London Corporation has voted to relocate the Beckford statue and replace it with a new work while the Cass statue would be returned to the Sir John Cass Foundation. The decision, though, could be slowed or halted altogether due to new UK laws that were recently introduced following the toppling of a statue of Edward Colston in the summer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Artist Kara Walker\u2019s Fons Americanus<\/a><\/em> first debuted in 2019 as part of Tate Modern\u2019s coveted Turbine Hall commission. Now, the large-scale artwork is featured front and centre in the music video for FKA twigs\u2019 new song \u201cDon\u2019t Judge Me\u201d made with Fred Again.. and Headie One. Fons Americanus <\/em>is a towering memorial to the British slave trade and draws off of inspiration Walker gathered from the Victoria Memorial fountain in front of Buckingham Palace. The artwork, which is a working fountain, is created with a similar \u201cevocative and unsettling power<\/a>\u201d that runs through Walker\u2019s silhouette and film works. It references JMS Turner\u2019s Slave Ship<\/em> and Winslow Homer\u2019s Gulf Stream<\/em> while some have made connections between Walker\u2019s depictions of sharks to those in works by Damien Hirst. The video features well-known Black British individuals, like footballer Mahlon Romeo, writer Reni Eddo-Lodge (who was the first Black author to top the UK bestseller list), and writer Benjamin Zephaniah. On including Walker\u2019s work in the video, FKA twigs said in a tweet: \u201cit was an honour to shoot with kara walkers fountain exploring the interconnection of black history between africa, america and europe.\u201d For its prominent location in the Turbine Hall, it is estimated that millions of people have seen Walkers work, which will now be further seen through the music video. Fons Americanus<\/em> will be on view through February 7th<\/sup>, although Tate Modern is currently shuttered due to COVID-19 restrictions across London. After the fountain is removed, its materials will be recycled.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nGotta catch \u2019em all?<\/strong><\/h6>\n
City of London votes to remove two statues<\/strong><\/h6>\n
Kara Walker sculpture features in new music video<\/strong><\/h6>\n