Banksy's new sculpture, Cardinal Sin creates expected chatter at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Lovecat, a fascinating model loving magazine founded by Jacob Dekat and Prince Chenoa just celebrated the release of their third issue. And the editors dedicated their newsprint wonder to art, highlighted by a Chuck Close story. The artist memorably celebrated the last issue of the magazine with the founders and Lindsay Lohan at Le Baron. Yes, you read that right! Talended Michael Avedon shot the famed artist in all his glory and Alex Catarinella interviewed Close. Here are the quotable highlights: On moving to New York.. “..Ironcially, the best time to go out in New York was when the United States was in the worst shape it ever was. Living through the racial events, the freedom riots and the anti-war stuff of the late '60s. Ironically, that was an amazing time to create art. Every institution was suspect, your government lied to you, the war was grinding on, there were the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy -- it couldn't have been bleaker. But it was also a time of great ferment culturally. It was a time of incredible creativity. We threw everything we were doing away and we tried to figure out a new reason to make stuff.” On the city’s golden art age: “You'd leave gallery openings and you'd come back downtown and you'd go to Max's Kansas City or Spring Street bar, and you'd spend the whole fucking night arguing with each other. If you said you liked the show, somebody else would say "What? You liked that shit? Why?" And you'd have to be able to defend yourself and give good reasons why you liked it. They were unbelievably passionate arguments that often resulted in drinks being thrown at people's faces. But this was in the midst of all of the horror and the loss. New York was crime-ridden -- you couldn't go to Central Park. Yet there were these islands of sanity and of comradery with other artists and musicians. You know, Andy Warhol had the Exploding Plastic Inevitable around the corner on 8th street so you'd go there. It was an amazing time and there's nothing like it today. Unless I just don't know where it is. It's possible that it's taking place in Brooklyn, but I don't know. On Kate Moss: “When she walked in the studio for me to photograph her, she was sort of dumpy. She had just had children and she had thickened and broadened in the waist. She said, "Oh, I guess I should have trimmed my bush." But she was totally comfortable with it. I said, "Sorry, these photographs are really harsh," and she said, "Oh, it doesn't matter. I've had enough beautiful pictures taken of me." And she was great. The minute she stepped in front of the camera, the camera loved her. I remember Herb Ritts telling me about taking photos of Marilyn Monroe. He said the same thing -- he'd be watching this dumpy woman with short, stubby legs and with this scar on her belly. He'd watch her in his peripheral vision and when she got in front of the lens, he could not believe it was her. The lens loved her.” On hating Work of Art: "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" is so horrible. Sarah Jessica Parker is a friend of mine and she asked me if I would be on the show last year. I said I wouldn't ever in a million years. They asked me again this year and I just saw Simon de Pury from the auction house for this thing I went to for Clinton. I said, "You know, it's a guilty pleasure that I watch this goddamn thing. But I knew never to touch this thing with a ten foot pole. How come you didn't know that?" People will do anything to be on television.” Photos by Michael Avedon

Cai Guo-Qiang gets a first Middle Eastern exhibition and blends Chinese and Arab cultures at Mathaf.