Hume, Four Doors I, (1989-90) via ArtBistro

Almost two decades after Gary Hume emerged onto the British art scene with his famous “Door Paintings”, the Modern Art Oxford will present the first survey of his work. The exhibition will go through August 31 and was curated by Suzanne Cotter. The first of his “Door Paintings” was inspired by an ad for a British private health insurance company, which featured an image of waiting in a dismal hospital waiting area. Since then, the style of his doors have evolved and the series has provided Hume with great success. His works are large scale, monochrome, painted with household gloss paint.

Garry Hume: Door Paintings [Modern Art Oxford]
Gary Hume at Modern Art Oxford [Artbistro]
Gary Hume: the doors that unhinged the establishment [Telegraph]
Gary Hume: Door Paintings [Artrabbit] (more…)

Hirst and McLaren via the Daily News

Damien Hirst buys vintage clothing by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, which turns out to be fake and more here [NY Daily News] [Vogue]
Parisian show of works without owners, once collected for Hitler’s super-museum [Bloomberg]
Beijing’s Dashanzi arts district is booming [NYTimes]
Review of Harvard economist-written “best book on the economics of the contemporary art market” [Portfolio]
Jackie Wullschlager on Communist artist Fernand Léger: Picasso’s “tubist” [Financial Times]

The Taking of Christ (Or, The Kiss of Judas), Caravaggio, 1573-1602 via Coxsoft

A painting by the master artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Taking of Christ (Or, The Kiss of Judas) was reported stolen from the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art in the Ukraine. Thieves were able to sidestep the outdated alarm system, and escape through the museum’s roof. Originally purchased by a Russian ambassador, the painting had come into the museum’s hands last century. More details after the jump.

Caravaggio Stolen From Odessa Museum [Artinfo]
Caravaggio’s Christ Painting Stolen [Abc News]
Ukraine Laments Theft of a Caravaggio from museum [Reuters]
Caravaggio Work Stolen from Ukranian Museum (IHT)

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Keith Haring Mural

A week ago, Angel Ortiz, an artist known as LA II added his own touches to the Keith Haring tribute mural, covered in April by AO here, that has stood at Bowery and Houston streets since April. With the help of artist and gallerist, Clayton Patterson, Mr. Ortiz filled in blank spaces on the public mural, which he deemed fair game. It is yet another chapter in a 20 year long legal dispute with The Haring Foundation. He claims the Foundation has failed to credit collaborative work he did as an underage teenager with Haring in the early to mid eighties.

Haring’s ‘Silent Partner’ Speaks [NYsun]
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Keith Haring’s Silent Partner [VillageVoice]
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Arts Brief: Writing on the Wall [NYpress]
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Little Angel Was Here: A Keith Haring Collaborator Makes His Mark [NYTimes]
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Keith Haring’s mural in the East Village [Art Observed]