CARACAS, Venezuela—Artist Jesús Soto created the “Caracas Sphere”—a giant orange orb suspended in the air, seemingly defying gravity—to honor what he saw as a rising oil nation in the ’90s. These days, though, the celebrated art work is less a symbol of hope than a well-lit and guarded spot that serves as an impromptu refuge from crime and economic need, a reminder of a country—and an art scene—that have fallen from grace.

Source: Wall Street Journal May 15, 2019 09:22 UTC