This Week In The Arts - Youtube and Nationalism

Weekly Edition - Art and Culture Newsletter - Thursday, February 18, 2026 

This Week In The Arts - Youtube and Nationalism
Photo by Peter Thomas

Good morning everyone, happy Thursday. A major topic today is about how citizens perceive the arts in their respective countries. US is second to last, can you guess which country is last? And which is first? Let us know in the comments.


35 rare Rembrandt etchings were rediscovered after nearly 100 years

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Pancake Woman (1635). Courtesy of the Collection of Charlotte Meyer.

Not-so-long-lost sketches by the Dutch painter Rembrandt have been recovered from a family home in the Netherlands in surprisingly great condition. 

Read more here.

South by Southwest releases its 2026 comedy lineup

With South by Southwest less than two weeks away, check out the list of big names including Eric Andre, Bill Burr, and Chloe Radcliff.  

Read the list here.

Where in the world are people proud of their country’s culture and lifestyle?

man in black and white nike shoes sitting on green grass field during daytime
Photo by Mennie

Pew Research Center released a new study on what factors people are proud of in their country, when it comes to arts and culture. The US ranks second to last, which begs the question why? This weeks article answers that question.

Read more here


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The USA is a global leader in the arts, research says we aren't proud of it

But the thing is that we know this. Americans know that we create some of the best art. But we aren’t proud of it. In fact, when looking at the survey as a whole, Americans aren’t really proud of anything related to their country. I myself seem to understand that people are only proud of things related to those who look like them or come from the same community as them. Joe Shmo in Utah could care less that Tyler, the Creator is playing at the Grammys or that a flurry of American artists are being represented at Art Basel. Or on the contrary, I probably myself am not paying much attention to which country artist is making headlines, as I am not particularly interested in that genre, and although I am from Texas, I don't have an affinity for country music. Simply put, I believe we are...

This is an excerpt “The USA is a global leader in the arts, research says we aren't proud of it” by our CEO and independent writer Wolfgang Burst. Read the full story here.


From the Archives 

Journey Through Grief and Connection: Drive My Car (2021) — theartnewsletter.com
Experience the profound storytelling of Drive My Car (2021), Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s award-winning film about love, loss, and human connection.

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