The news of the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s banana — which sold for six figures — had come to represent the absurdity of the art world. The photo of the woman, taken by the freelance photographer Rhona Wise, was published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. It appeared on websites in places like Cuba, Russia, China, Italy, Greece and the Middle East. The 20-year-old college student in the picture, Aruzhan Toleubay, is bald from chemotherapy. And she had recently suspended treatments because she maxed out the annual limit on her health insurance.

Source: International New York Times December 14, 2019 09:56 UTC