Art News reviews rumors that Frieze is planning an art fair edition in Seoul, South Korea, as local vendors clamor to get an upper hand on any potential announcements. “We are always looking at potential new opportunities and have a great relationship with the Korean galleries, institutions, and collectors,” said a Frieze spokesperson. “Anything is possible, but there’s nothing to report at this stage.” (more…)

Art Basel Miami Beach is cancelled, but Miami Art Week is still rolling this week in the Florida city, leading many to question the city’s art scene and motivations, including a dinner party hosted by the recently-divorced Libbie Mugrabi. “Now I settled a divorce and I have a lot of money,” she says. “And I can do whatever I want with it. It’s my choice. And this is what I want to do.” (more…)

The German government has approved the highest-ever cultural budget for the country, Art Newspaper reports. “This resounding acknowledgement by parliament of the critical importance of culture and the media is a major signal in these difficult times,” says Culture Minister Monika Grütters. (more…)

The mystery around the monolith discovered in the Utah desert has gotten deeper, after the metal structure, which some attribute to artist John McCracken, disappeared from its location. “Almost as quickly as it appeared it has now disappeared,” a statement from the Department of Public Safety reads. (more…)

A piece in The Atlantic this week charts the ongoing internal debates over race and representation currently roiling art museums, and points to a long-overdue reckoning amongst arts institutions. “Historically, I would say [collecting decisions depend on] institutional curatorial expertise right there with artists’ intent, and way down the road, thinking about the visitor experience or relevance to the community,” says Lori Fogarty, the executive director of the Oakland Museum of California. “That is shifting … I think we are at a moment of complete reimagination for museums.” (more…)

Theaster Gates, Black Vessel (Installation View), via Art Observed

Marking his first solo exhibition in New York City, artist Theaster Gates has touched down at Gagosian Gallery, bringing with him a diverse and conceptually-rich selection of works that underscore his work as a prominent activist and cultural force in American art.  Underscoring the artist’s complex and intuitive work with a range of materials, equally anchored in the histories of racial and social justice movements, and in the canon of art history, not to mention the artist’s own personal narrative, the show traces a range of ideas and concepts through the artist’s body, making for a powerful first show in the Big Apple.

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Alex Da Corte, Helter Shelter Or: The Red Show! or… (Installation View), via Sadie Coles HQ

Marking a new wrinkle in an ever-evolving artistic oeuvre, artist Alex Da Corte touches down this month at Sadie Coles HQ for a show of works that continues his approach towards larger than life spaces and gestures, orchestrating a surreal series of physical pairings and semiotic exchanges within the framework of the gallery. Taking his expressive and intriguing body of works into a broader bend of language and understanding, the artist makes the most out of a relatively minimal setup. (more…)

A piece in the Art Newspaper details what a Biden administration could mean for the arts. “The big idea was to create a White House office on arts, culture and the creative industries,” says Megan Beyer, the co-chair of the campaign’s Arts Policy Committee and a former executive director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities under Obama.  (more…)

A piece in the New York Times looks at the recently discovered steel monolith found in the Utah desert, and asks if the work might actually be a long-hidden piece by John McCracken. “The gallery is divided on this,” the artist’s gallerist, David Zwirner said in a statement. “I believe this is definitely by John.” (more…)

At least 32 fake invitations to participate in the prestigious Documenta art festival in Kassel have gone out to arts professionals around the globe, Art Newspaper reports. “Unfortunately we don’t know yet who sent them,” says a spokeswoman for Documenta. “We are in contact with experts, but the emails are very well encrypted. Some recipients have noticed that the invitations are not genuine, but others have not and of course it is a great disappointment to them when they find out. We feel very sorry about this.” (more…)

Hank Willis Thomas does an interview this week with Art News, and holds forth on how he sees his practice working in politics and activism. “If we are dealing with centuries old problems in century old ways, if we really want to transcend we’re going to take action,” he says. (more…)

The White House has acquired Isamu Noguchi’s Floor Frame (1962), the first work by an Asian-American in the White House’s holdings. “Noguchi’s inclusion in the White House Collection is a worthy testament to his incredible life’s work and is a milestone in our efforts to ensure that Americans from all cultural backgrounds are represented,” Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. (more…)

Alex Prager has a new, large-scale installation on view at LACMA this month, re-creating the landscape and iconographies of the annual office Christmas party. “This is a very difficult time and there hasn’t been much humor in the world in the last nine months; it’s been a lot of hatred and a lot of polarization,” Prager says. “Humor is a way to shine light on something that’s not necessarily an easy thing to experience — we can’t have these parties right now, we can’t have any parties — and this allows us to laugh at ourselves.” (more…)

Dealing with a second coronavirus lockdown, artists in London are showing works in the front windows of their apartments, turning the sidewalks of the city into a roving gallery. “It’s a great idea and affords people a different experience during their daily walks,” says artist Maureen Harrison. “It does mean that those who would be reluctant to set foot in a gallery can still view contemporary art, and others can get their fix.” (more…)

George Condo, Father and Daughter with Face Mask (2020), via Hauser & Wirth

Currently on at Hauser & Wirth, artist George Condo has opened a show of new works created this past year.  Composed during the early months of quarantine, the works by the artist reflect the unsettling experience of physical distance and the absence of human contact during a prolonged social isolation. Comprising a new incorporation of abstraction into his already complex figurative project, the works on view here are a fascinating reinvention of the artist’s work.   (more…)

The estate of François Morellet is now represented by Hauser & Wirth, Art News reports. “We do want to focus on raising greater awareness of his work and appreciation for it in the U.S.—among American institutions, with curators, scholars, collectors, the public–but our approach is always global,” says gallery partner Marc Payot. “I am convinced Morellet’s work will be very well received in Asia as well.” (more…)

A group of legal and PR Consultants have launched a new firm directed specifically at mitigating the risk of institutional deaccessioning.  “Most museums have very capable communications and legal counsel,” says firm member, Lauren Gioia, formerly the head of Sotheby’s communications and PR, “but deaccessions and sales require specific expertise and experience that we can provide.  Our role would be to partner with the existing teams to ensure institutions achieve a successful outcome based on their goals.” (more…)

London’s National Gallery will charge £8 for an online curator’s tour of its blockbuster exhibition on Old Master Artemisia Gentileschi, a new attempt at mitigating the effects of Covid-19 closures on the museum.  “Although this film cannot replace the experience of seeing the exhibition in person at the National Gallery, it will allow us to share Artemisia’s story and paintings with as many people as possible, in particular those who cannot make it to Trafalgar Square right now,” says curator Letizia Treves. (more…)

Italian researchers are claiming they have uncovered a previously unknown work by Leonardo da Vinci, which sat unseen in a private collection for centuries. “It is a remarkably beautiful and refined work and I’m absolutely convinced it is a sketch by Leonardo,” says historian Annalisa Di Maria.  (more…)

Artist Derek Fordjour gets a profile in the NYT this week, as he opens a show around a recent exploration into puppetry and performance. “I love learning other ways to have a conversation,” hey says. “Painting has its utility, but performance is another register.” (more…)

Pace Gallery will open a new space in London, taking over the former location of Blain Southern. “This is a time for investment and faith in London,” says Marc Glimcher. “Its role as a cultural hub remains undisputed given the number of world class institutions on its turf, and even staring into the face of Brexit I am convinced that London will remain an economic capital of Europe and a crucial centre for the art market.” (more…)

Sotheby’s will add a final sale to its 2020 calendar this December 8th, bringing forward Pablo Picasso’s 1962 painting Buste de Femme Assise, which is offered for $8 million–$12 million. “We are continuing to rethink not only the traditional auction calendar, but also the ways in which our sales are organized and categorized,” says Amy Cappellazzo, chairman of Sotheby’s Fine Art Division. “Collectors continue to be less concerned with the traditional art market categories of the past.” (more…)

A piece in the NYT this week profiles the departure of Joseph C. Thompson from Mass MOCA, the museum he founded and built into its current role as a bastion of contemporary arts in Western Massachusetts. “No doubt I have a terminal case of founderitis,” he says, “and by rights probably should have left years ago.” (more…)

Researcher Clare McAndrew’s latest NYC Art Market Report paints a disturbing picture for online art fairs and viewing rooms, noting that even after a year of heavy focus on these ventures, 26% of collectors have still not made a purchase online. “Many collectors have only been able to view and transact online, which for most is not their preferred or most frequently used method of engagement with the art market under normal circumstances,” the report reads. (more…)