This week, the art world said goodbye to a pope who treated artists as essential voices—and watched humans reclaim space from AI with pens, paint, and personality. From Vatican halls to digital protests, culture is shifting back toward what’s made by hand, seen with care, and felt for real.
TOP 5 ART STORIES THIS WEEK
1. The Art World Says Goodbye to Pope Francis
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, and this week, the global art world is paying tribute. His imprint on the art world is unlike anything the Vatican has seen in decades. He used art as a tool of mercy, truth, and reform. He was the first pope to invite living artists into the Sistine Chapel, where he told them,
“The Church needs artists. We need beauty, because it opens up the heart.”
He supported Venice Biennale pavilions, opened Vatican exhibitions to contemporary and interfaith works, and called for art in marginal communities. He even returned Parthenon Marbles fragments from the Vatican Museums, prompting the Acropolis Museum to thank him for his “clear, brave, and deeply meaningful” stance.
Culturally, he became known as “the Pop Pope”, being featured in documentaries, Netflix films, and even animation. His story has already been told in at least eight films and series, including The Two Popes and Francis: Man of His Word.
But he wasn’t without limits. While his tone was progressive, his reforms often stalled, because he underestimated just how firmly the old guard was holding the door shut.
“Art must remain culturally alive, not frozen in the past.”
— Pope, in Le Journal des Arts
2. Banksy’s “Mickey Snake” Breaks Records at Bonhams 💸
Banksy’s painting Mickey Snake just sold for £330,600 at Bonhams’ “British Cool” sale, that is more than triple its high estimate. The 2017 work, which blends Disney iconography with a venomous twist, shows Mickey Mouse being swallowed by a snake, a dark critique of mass culture and corporate power.
This is one of Banksy’s most provocative satirical pieces and now one of his most valuable in this size category. The sale confirms Banksy’s grip on the market and pop symbolism: British cool, apparently, still bites.
3. Hidden Magritte Drawing Discovered on eBay 🕵️
A rare René Magritte drawing has been discovered, on eBay. Now authenticated, the drawing bought for $1580 is heading to auction at Rago/Wright, with estimates between $100,000 and $150,000.
“Executed in ballpoint pen, colored pencil, and pencil, the drawing depicts oversize chess pieces amid a sky of soft clouds. Both the chess pieces and the clouds were images Magritte repeatedly depicted throughout his career.”
A reminder: treasure sometimes hides in browser tabs, not museum vaults. More here.
4. UAE Goes Full Art Power Mode: teamLab + Art Dubai = Cultural Flex 🚀
The UAE isn’t just buying art anymore, but building the future around it.
Art Dubai 2025 just wrapped, and it’s clear: the region is pulling serious weight. Sales were strong, but the bigger move? A shift toward Global South artists, digital art, and next-gen collectors. Dubai is pitching itself as “the next big thing.”
Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, teamLab just dropped a full-blown immersive museum on Saadiyat Island. Think digital ecosystems, interactive light fields, and AI-driven environments: all next to the Louvre and soon, the Guggenheim.
Together, it’s a cultural flex: the UAE is now a destination for art buyers, art believers, builders, and visionaries.
5. Oscars Finally Add a Rule That Makes Sense 🍿
The Academy just did something wild: they’re making voters watch all the Best Picture nominees before voting. Shocking, we know. 🙂
Starting now, Oscar voters must confirm they’ve seen all 10 nominated films if they want their Best Picture vote to count. Before? You could skip half the movies and still help decide the biggest film award in the world. No more.
“It’s common sense,” said one Academy member.
“It’s about time,” said literally everyone else.
→ (Sources: The Independent, La Razón, DN)
This rule won’t apply to other categories yet (just Best Picture) but it’s a big step toward something rare in Hollywood: accountability. No more voting based on trailers, studio hype, or vibes.
Now it’s Watch first. Vote later.
🔥Hot Take: Artists Push Back Against AI Doll Trend With #StarterPackNoAI
As AI-generated “starter pack” images (plastic action-figure versions of people) flooded social media, illustrators responded with something quieter, but sharper.
Under the hashtag #StarterPackNoAI, they began posting hand-drawn versions of themselves, rejecting the uniform, soulless aesthetics of the AI trend and reclaiming creative ground.
Their reasons vary. For some, it’s about the environmental cost of AI generation. For others, it’s about the erasure of artistic labor and authorship. For many, it’s about something simpler: the images made by hand feel more real.
The illustrated packs are funny, strange, detailed, and inconsistent, in the best sense. They carry personality: some are polished, others quick and loose.
Take a look for more: In Creativeboom
💡 One Creative Truth
“Nearly all the great creators were almost recluses. Either one has many ideas and few friends, or many friends and few ideas.”
— Santiago Ramón y Cajal, 1906 (Nobel laureate)
Creativity often chooses solitude. Not because isolation is noble, but because ideas grow best in quiet soil.
A truth more than a century old, spoken by one of the sharpest minds in history.
So believe that.
🎧 Soundtrack for Your Studio 🎧
Lana Del Rey just dropped a new track, “Bluebird”, and it’s everything you’d expect: wistful, slow-burning, and emotionally precise. Built around minimalist piano and ambient textures, the song floats like a late-night thought you can’t quite shake.
Del Rey’s voice is softer than ever here, threading themes of memory, loss, and letting go… perfect for quiet creative moments that need more mood than motion.
Best paired with: foggy windows, a sketchbook, and nothing on your calendar.
🍿 Movie Recommendation
La Vie en Gros is a warm, sharp animated film about weight, self-image, and growing up. Directed by Charlotte Cambon, it follows Benoît, a boy navigating the pressures of school, family, and body shaming, all while trying to stay himself.
The film avoids clichés and moral lectures. Instead, it gives us something rare: a story about size that’s full of tenderness, humor, and honesty. It’s already earned awards at Annecy and Anima, and for good reason.
Short, gentle, and clear-eyed, La Vie en Gros speaks to anyone who’s ever felt out of place in their own skin.
That’s it for this week!
Subscribe, if you yet haven’t, and have a lovely time meanwhile. See you again next week!
xx, Helen
