– The Summer of Murakami: Just in time to promote his upcoming London show at Gagosian, Takashi Murakami has been commissioned to create today's Googledoodle, a cartoon called "The First Day of Summer" that is meant to celebrate the solstice. Couple things. The solstice is the longest day of summer but not necessarily the first — when it starts, exactly, is a matter of some dispute. (Ask a druid, maybe.) Also, his doodle couldn't be more self-promotional: amid a cluster of Murakami's smiling flowers, his most popularly salable designs (coming in both canvas and plush), are the two zonked-out emblems of his production company, Kaikai and Kiki. [Telegraph]

– Daniel Buren Cancels Show to Protest Ai's Detention: Following in the footsteps of British sculptor Anish Kapoor,the stripe-loving French artist has nixed a Beijing show that was slated to open this July as a sign of "solidarity" with imprisoned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Buren has described the cancellation of his Ullens Center for Contemporary Art exhibition as "almost an ethical obligation." He continued, "First I signed petitions to free Ai Weiwei.But as he is still being held, virtually in secret, after two months I think the best solution is for me to pull out... If I carried on without doing anything, it would be a mistake that I would regret for the rest of my life. [AFP] 

– Alice Cooper on Collaborating with Dalí: Here we will quote, in full, aging rocker AliceCooper's answer to the question "what's your favorite museum?": "The Salvador Dalí museum in Figueres, Spain. Five of the original band members were art majors, and we worshipped Dalí: we thought of ourselvesas surrealists. I worked with Dalí for four days in New York in 1974. He did a sculpture of my brain. It's a brain with a chocolate eclair running down the back, and ants climbing all over it and spelling out 'Dalí and Alice.'" Amazing. [Guardian] 

– Richard Feigen Sued: Upper East Side dealer Richard Feigen is being sued by a couple that claims he failed to authenticate a Rosa Bonheur painting he sold them 20 years ago. The couple tried to consign the painting to Sotheby'sin March, only to be told it was actually done by the artist's brother.Feigen calls the suit "bogus," and maintains that his gallery did not actually sell the couple the painting, but rather consigned it to the Rhode Island School of Designfor a fundraiser and subsequently received a commission. Feigen maintains "we're the wrong party to sue" and says he is "contemplating asubstantial lawsuit for defamation." [Observer]

– Totally Dope Dispensaries: Check out photos of some dank medical marijuana dispensaries, which CalArts alum Michael Underwood documented before they are forced to close. [L.A. Weekly] 

– Don't Tread on Me: At the Venice Biennale's Danish pavilion, German artist Thomas Kilpper has installed portraits of 33 right-wing political figures on the floor, including Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, German chancellor Angela Merkel, rightist Dutch politician Gert Wilders, Danish national party president Pia Kjaersgaard, and Pope Benedict XVI.According to Kilpper, those depicted have all abused their freedom of speech, but many Danish media outlets have criticized the installation as both biased and naïve. Kilpper merely points out that visitors can selectively choose on whom they wish to step. [ARTINFO France]

– Everybody Loves Magritte: In anticipation of a Rene Magritte exhibition at the Tate Liverpool,the Guardian has compiled statements from an impressive list of artists, comedians, and directors explaining why they love the Belgian surrealist. Some passages are filled with artspeak like "slipperiness" and "otherness," but others make acute observations about Magritte's influence: Jeff Koons believes it would be hard to imagine Photoshop without him, while Baldessari notes that CBS TV's logo comes directly from Magritte's work "The False Mirror." [Guardian]

– NAC Presidential Drama Deepens: When the National Arts Club board assembled to hold an election on Thursday, the disgraced, recently ousted president, Aldon James  whois rumored to be under investigation by the Manhattan DA and state attorney general for financial mismanagement — apparently sicced the State Liquor Authority on his former cohorts, citing "loud crowds, underage drinkers and a disqualified person who could not legally work there." Meanwhile, Dianne Bernhard was elected to take James's place. [NYP]

– Recalling Top Ah-Ha Moments: The Guardian's critics recall their most memorable moments of epiphany, such as when art scribe Adrian Searle saw "Goya and His Times" on a school trip to the Royal Academy in 1963, or when architecture expert Jonathan Glancey finallyfulfilled his lifelong dream of visiting the ziggurat at Eridu just months before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where he was escorted by a platoon of Saddam's soldiers. [Guardian] 

– New Chairman of Board for Jewish Museum: Robert A. Pruzan will succeed Joshua Nash as chairman of the board at the Jewish Museum. Pruzan is a founding partner of Centerview Partners LLC, an investment banking firm. Before taking over as chairman, he served as board president for four years. [Press Release]