In a landmark settlement that could have major repercussions for the provision of reparations in the United States, Harvard University will relinquish the daguerreotypes of Tamara Lanier’s enslaved ancestors.
| Good morning. In a landmark settlement that could have major repercussions for the provision of reparations in the United States, Harvard University will relinquish the daguerreotypes of Tamara Lanier’s enslaved ancestors, Renty and Delia, which were held for nearly two centuries in the school’s Peabody Museum. Lanier, who filed suit against Harvard in 2019, called the outcome a “victory for ethical stewardship.” Read about the settlement today, and see our archives for Hyperallergic’s extensive past coverage of the case — including our dedicated issue on Lanier's battle to #FreeRenty, linked below.
In local news, there’s a performance artist advocating for New York City’s pigeons, which are disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Staff Writer Isa Farfan reports directly from Tina Piña Trachtenburg’s (aka “Mother Pigeon”) most recent protest in Brooklyn, featuring a crowd of impassioned “pigilantes.”
There’s much more to read, including Michael Glover on Henri Michaux and psychedelics, the argument for jewelry’s place in the art historical canon, and a remembrance of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, who died last Friday at the age of 81. — Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor | | |
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| | Tamara Lanier, who sued the school in 2019 over daguerreotypes of her enslaved ancestors held in its museum, called the outcome “a turning point in American history.” | Valentina Di Liscia |
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE | | Tamara Lanier’s battle for the ownership of her ancestors’ images is forcing the law into the uncomfortable position of considering a specific historical context — the institution of chattel slavery. | Valentina Di Liscia
In this 2022 episode of the Hyperallergic podcast, Lanier talks about her continuing quest for justice that includes the return of the daguerreotypes depicting her enslaved ancestors. | Hrag Vartanian
In 2021, Hyperallergic published 12 scholarly endorsements of Ariella Aïsha Azoulay’s amicus brief in support of Tamara Lanier’s case against Harvard University. | Hrag Vartanian |
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SPONSORED | | | | | Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast returns with Season 9, hosted by Helen Molesworth. Hear voices like Julianne Moore, Julie Mehretu, Sarah Sze, Vivian Bond, Darby English, and more on artists including Anni Albers, Candy Darling, Joan Mitchell, and Yayoi Kusama. All episodes streaming wherever you get your podcasts. Listen now |
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FROM OUR CRITICS | | | Beyond Adornment explores what the depiction of jewelry in art says about adornment, artists, and their subjects, from Charlemagne to Frida Kahlo. | Aida Amoako |
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SPONSORED | | | | | This work of experimental dance theater at Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education is performed by a multi-generational ensemble of women and femme dancers. Learn more |
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| | The poet turned to psychedelics to discover the nature of his own consciousness, producing inscrutable drawings that alternately vibrate until they blur, or wash gently to and fro. | Michael Glover |
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| | | The artist challenges the expectation that continual creation and a predetermined morbid fate are contradictory. | Danielle Wu |
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IN MEMORIAM | | Sebastião Salgado (1944–2025)
Brazilian documentary photographer | Hyperallergic
Olu Ajayi (1963–2025)
Nigerian painter and cartoonist | Lagos Review
Judith Hope Blau (1938–2025)
Painter, children’s book author and illustrator, and toy designer | New York Times
Robert Campbell (1937–2025)
Longtime Boston Globe architecture critic| Boston Globe
Cecile Elstein (1938–2025)
British sculptor, printmaker, and environmental artist | Guardian
Bill Horrigan (1951–2025)
Video art curator | Artnews
Michael Kane (1935–2025)
Irish artist and activist | Irish Times
Angela Lemaire (1944–2025)
Scottish printmaker, painter, wood engraver, and writer | Guardian
Hans Noë (1928–2025)
Architect, sculptor, and owner of Fanelli Cafe in New York | New York Times |
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| You’re currently a free subscriber to Hyperallergic. To support our independent arts journalism, please consider joining us as a member. | | Become a Member |
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