The US Capitol’s National Statuary Hall includes confederate statues
Photo: Andy Feliciotti
This week, we look at white supremacist art in the Capitol in Washington and discuss the legacy of Hannah Arendt. Plus, we look at a record-breaking auction sale of a Batman comic.
Sarah Beetham, chair of liberal arts and assistant professor of art history at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, discusses the statue of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee that was removed from the Capitol building two weeks before right-wing mobs, incited by President Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers, attacked the Capitol and filled it with white supremacist imagery like the Confederate flag. A further eight Confederate statues remain in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall today.
The National Statuary Hall in the US Capitol
Photo: Architect of the Capitol
With the riots in Washington as a backdrop, we talk to two artists, Peter Kennard and Vivienne Koorland, who feature in an exhibition programme dedicated to Hannah Arendt at Richard Saltoun in London this year. They discuss the the political theorist’s legacy and her affect on their work.
And as a copy of the first ever comic featuring Batman sells for $2.2m at auction, we ask Ed Jaster, the senior vice president at Heritage Auctions, what makes this item so special.
This copy of Batman #1 (1940), written by Bill Finger and drawn by Bob Kane, with art assistance from Jerry Robinson and Sheldon Moldoff, sold for $2.22m at Heritage Auctions
The Week in Art podcast by The Art Newspaper is available every Friday on our website and all the usual places where you find podcasts. This podcast is sponsored by Christie’s.
