Kerry James Marshall unveils a body of new works in the NYT this week, inspired by the drawings of John James Audubon, and by historical assertions and evidence that the ornithologist and artist was black. “I didn’t know what to make of it, honestly,” he says. “If somebody did the research and put it in a book, then maybe it must be true. And I never forgot that assertion was made.” (more…)
Artist Hank Willis Thomas has an interview in The Guardian this week, as he exhibits a new sculpture in Atlanta’s Fourth Ward Park. “To me, the work is a celebration and a provocation,” Thomas says. “It’s a symbol of community, strength, justice and belonging that aims to inspire action and demand social change.” (more…)
Heather Phillipson, The End (Installation View), via City of London
A riddle topped with a cherry, Heather Phllipson’s new sculpture installation on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth in London has all the makings of a work fittingly in line with the surreal progression of events that have marked 2020. A massive dollop of whipped cream, topped off with a cherry, a large fly and whirling drone, the piece, titled The End, seems to invite questions of just what its title might imply: are we looking at the end of meaning, the end of the world, or perhaps just the end of a particularly large sundae? (more…)
Sotheby’s announced earnings for the first half of 2020 at $2.5 billion with sales volume for the year down 25%, but impressive gains shown in online sales. “The art and luxury markets have proven to be incredibly resilient, and demand for quality across categories is unabated.” says CEO Charles Stewart. (more…)
Yayoi Kusama’s retrospective at the Gropius Bau in Berlin has been postponed until 2021. “To Covid-19 that stands in our way/I say Disappear from this earth/We shall fight/We shall fight this terrible monster,” the artist said earlier this year in a statement on the current challenges caused by the virus. (more…)
Protests have begun in Norway, as the government begins tearing down a massive Picasso mural damaged in the 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo. “There is a grieving process that this is happening,” “At the same time, the spirit that many displayed to campaign to protect the building has been very positive. People have woken up to the value of this art.” (more…)
The site of Van Gogh’s last painting has been discovered as Auvers-sur-Oise, village north of Paris where the artist died. “Having worked for hours on a painting which shows a preoccupation with the relentless struggle between life and death, Van Gogh, feeling alone and seeing no alternative, decided to find his earthly rest with the setting sun, on the outskirts of the village with a view of a freshly harvested wheatfield,” says researcher Wouter van der Veen. (more…)
The Tate is under fire after trade unions accused the museum of disproportionately cutting black and minority ethnic staff members as it reopens. “Many of these colleagues will be amongst the lowest-paid staff on the Tate estate, with some at risk earning little more than the national minimum wage, and in some of the most diverse teams across Tate,” the union representing employees stated. (more…)
Pace has informed a number of previously furloughed employees that they will not be returning to work. “The economic situation caused by the global pandemic means we cannot sustain our previous level of staffing,” says gallery spokeswoman Amelia Redgrift. “This decision was taken after every other measure to ensure we are prepared for an extended period of financial uncertainty and to protect as many jobs as possible in the long-term.” (more…)
Gary Simmons, Screaming into the Ether (2020), via Metro Pictures
As galleries reopen in New York and test out their new exhibition strategies, the first string of gallery highlights and highly touted shows are beginning to pop up online. Among these is Screaming into the Ether, the newest show of paintings by artist Gary Simmons at Metro Pictures. Mining the language of classic cartoon aesthetics and the often physically expressive poses its characters took, Simmons’s show turns moments of comical action into desperate, unnerving moments through his slurred, blurry hand. (more…)
Sculptures by Anton Bakker at Walker Fine Art, via Hamptons Fine Art
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With the summer months in full swing and the challenges of a post-COVID art world continuing to pose new issues for the market, an increasing number of fairs and exhibitions are moving towards online sales and shows. Hamptons Virtual Art Fair, currently open online, marks a new entry in the string of fairs and online exhibitions that have run this summer, an intriguing addition that references the art world’s annual pilgrimage to the Eastern end of Long Island without the sun and sand. It’s an interesting addition to an art calendar long defined by timing and travel for the collector class, a wink towards where, in late summer, its buyers may well be logging in from.
Gavin Brown is closing his solo gallery, and partnering with Barbara Gladstone, the NYT reports. “It’s been a very rapid process,” Brown says. “Barbara is someone I’ve held in esteem for three decades. I remember, vividly, seeing the Matthew Barney show on Greene Street.” (more…)
A trove of paintings, including work by Willem de Kooning and Alexander Calder, have been discovered in the basement of Stony Brook Hospital, The New York Post reports. “It was a great find,” says art consultant Vincent Mazo “It was like opening up King Tut’s tomb.” (more…)
The Frick Collection will reopen at 945 Madison, the Marcel Breuer-designed building formerly serving as the home of the Whitney and Met Breuer. The space, titled Frick Madison, will be used while the Frick undergoes an ambitious renovation. (more…)
Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art reopened Monday, the first cultural institution in Washington to welcome the public back since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The gallery is always a spiritual place, but it’s a spiritual place that’s meant to be filled with people,” says museum director Kaywin Feldman.
A piece in the NYT notes the current re-evaluation of the historical resonance and market of Ruth Asawa, the Japanese-American artist whose pioneering wire sculptures and influential practice at Black Mountain College are receiving a renewed interest. (more…)
Bloomberg charts the ongoing challenges faced by The Shed, as the COVID-19 crisis continues to prevent exhibitions and performances at the fledgling space. “Every department had cuts” says artistic director Alex Poots. “We’re not transforming the Shed into something different; it still needs marketing and programming and production departments. But it needs less of all of those because we’re doing less.” (more…)
As New York enters Phase 4 of its reopening plan, the city is keeping museums shuttered, which officials attribute less to a resurgence than federal negligence in containing the virus. “We are still in a precarious position, not because of anything we have done, but because of the negligence of the federal government, and the states that, frankly, listen to the federal government,” says governor Andrew Cuomo. “I am very worried about the spread that we see across the country, and the inevitability that the spread will be here.”
Keith Sonnier, Dala (2016), via Art Observed
Artist Keith Sonnier, a pioneering voice in the development of light art and an ardent user of neon in complex, multi-layered sculptural arrangements, has died at the age of 78. His studio confirmed the news the week. (more…)
Loic Gouzer, former Christie’s exec and founder of art auction app Fair Warning, is pushing his new platform with a high profile sale of an untitled Basquiat drawing estimated at $8 million. “The idea was to create a guerrilla type of auction system,” Gouzer says of the project, “where you could start moving paintings by using the cloud rather than physical locations.” (more…)
A string of resignations is rocking the SFMOMA, as Gary Garrels, the museum’s senior curator of painting and sculpture marks the latest departure. The departure comes after Garrels reportedly used the term “reverse discrimination” in a meeting, referring to museum policies towards the collection of more works by white male artists. (more…)
As art sales go online, the NYT notes an increasing generation gap, with older buyers tapering off their purchases and younger buyers continuing to collect. “The resistance from older collectors is still there,” says Anders Petterson, founder of analytics firm ArtTactic. “When there is no physical art world, how do you substitute that experience?” he added. “Younger people are a lot quicker to adapt.” (more…)
A piece in the New York Times charts pressure on institutions to address problems of systemic racism and injustice in their organizations, collections and programs, following the social unrest caused by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police. “I do not think art museums have done enough,” says Chris Anagnos, executive director of the Association of Art Museum Directors. “We have dabbled around the edges of the work, but in our place of privilege we will never live up to the statement that ‘museums are for everyone’ unless we begin to confront, examine and dismantle the various structures that brought us to this point.” (more…)
Art Basel has completely cancelled the 2020 edition of its fair in the Swiss town, after an attempt to move the fair’s dates to September. “While there are signs of hope as individual countries are coming out of lockdown, the global situation remains precarious, and, unfortunately, too many uncertainties remain to go ahead with the fair,” the organization said in a statement. “These include the health risks posed by large gatherings, the limitations on intercontinental travel, and the unclear Swiss regulatory environment for shows of Art Basel’s size. Given these uncertainties, we believe that the best option concerning the Basel show is to focus on next year’s edition and delivering a fair of the exceptional international quality that the artworld expects.” (more…)
