Janette Laverrière and Nairy Baghramian, Seating Platform Eyebrow (2009), via Marian Goodman

In some ways a celebration of the life and work of Janette Laverrière, Marian Goodman is currently hosting an exhibition of works at its New York gallery space that combines the designer’s ideas with that of Nairy Baghramian’s, centering the show on a collaborative project that the two worked on before Laverrièr’s death in 2011. Presenting sketches, drawings and maquettes of Baghramian’s works from 1999 to the present that were never intended to be realized, the show is an intriguing portrait of collaboration and friendship. (more…)

Avery Singer is now represented by Hauser & Wirth, the gallery announced today. (more…)

A new filing in a dispute over a Rudolf Stingel has illustrated more of the background in the case of Inigo Philbrick, particularly how the dealer would move between classifying the transfers of works as sales or loans.  “That is the real story here of what is going on with all of these Inigo deals—there was a lot of easy money allowing him to perpetrate these frauds, not only from the Reubens but others as well,” says attorney Judd Grossman. (more…)

Russian museums are seizing on Vladimir Putin’s idea to open satellite venues in various regions of the country as a move to improve living standards.  “We must organise branches of such museums in regional centers of the Russian Federation, so works of art don’t lie around in storage or in basements, but so people see them,” Putin said. (more…)

The WSJ gives a tour of the $18.5 million New York Townhouse on sale this month, featuring interiors designed by Julian Schnabel.  The colorful home is currently inhabited by his first wife, Jacqueline. (more…)

George Condo is reported in talks to join Hauser & Wirth, according to Art News.  The report cites several sources saying that the artist is being courted by the massive gallery. (more…)

Kiko Kostadinov, OTTO 95.8 (Installation View), via Moran Moran

Currently on view at Los Angeles’s Morán Morán, London-based, Bulgarian designer Kiko Kostadinov presents a series of works unified under the title OTTO 95.8. Kostadinov’s practice, inspired by everyday uniforms and utilitarian work wear, includes objects that he creates to run parallel to his design work. Incorporating readymade and functional items, the compound constructions in this exhibition illustrate Kostadinov’s attraction to alien rather than familiar elements, a recurring theme informing every aspect of his practice.  (more…)

A piece in Ad Age this week looks at the number of companies and advertising agencies piggybacking on a massive popularity of Maurizio Cattelan’s banana sculpture Comedian.  (more…)

A painting believed to be a Gustav Klimt stolen 23 years ago has been discovered in the wall of the Ricci Oddi gallery where it had previously been on display.   “It is very strange, because, immediately after the theft, every single inch of the gallery and garden was checked with a fine-tooth comb,” says Jonathan Papamerenghi, a member of the Piacenza council. “The strangest thing is that the painting is in excellent condition. It does not seem like it has been locked under a trapdoor for 22 years.” (more…)

Bloomberg is throwing its weight behind the Save Venice foundation, fielding donations to help combat the effects of climate change on the lagoon city. “We’re worrying about the foundations of the buildings, as well as the stonework,” says Melissa Conn of Save Venice. (more…)

Sotheby’s has reordered its auction house around two divisions, Fine Arts and Luxury, Art and Objects, with Amy Cappellazzo taking on an expanded role as head of the Fine Arts division. The strategy will look to “reduce the current silos that exists between fine arts, business development and regional organizations,” according to a statement. (more…)

Art News has published the 30th edition of its Top 200 Collectors List, with a number of familiar faces and new names included. (more…)

Friedrich Petzel gets a profile in Art News, as he discusses his vision for his gallery and business model. “My imagination does not allow for 80, 90, 100 artists,” he says. “I think there’s a certain expectation of precision from people who enter the gallery.” (more…)

Rebecca Salter has been elected as new president of the Royal Academy of Arts. “A great day for the Royal Academy as Rebecca Salter is elected the first woman to be president since its founding in 1768,” says artist and academician Cathie Pilkington. (more…)

The Art Berlin fair has been scrapped, Art Newspaper reports. “We regret this step very much,” says Gerald Böse, the managing director of Koelnmesse. “But at the moment we don’t see the conditions necessary to achieve our visions in producing this event.” (more…)

A British court has ruled that Sotheby’s is due repayment for a disputed Frans Hals work, which originally sold for $10.8 million before being declared a fake.  “We were glad to see our position completely vindicated by the court,” a representative for Sotheby’s says.  (more…)

Artist David Datuna, who ate Maurizio Cattelan’s banana at Art Basel Miami Beach. “Warhol put banana on a canvas,” he says. “Cattelan takes a real banana and puts it on the wall. David took banana from the wall and ate it!” (more…)

Art News interviews curator Francesco Bonami about his experiences at Art Fairs.  “People go to art fairs to meet people, then to look at art, but often people don’t want to meet you and sometimes they don’t want even to look at art,” he says. “You also learn a different language where ‘very good’ means good, ‘good’ means ok, and ‘ok’ means ‘it’s a disaster, I have not sold anything.'” (more…)

A piece in Art News notes that the Elgin Marbles have suffered damage due to pollution over the years, after the study of a series of casts has uncovered evidence of what the statues looked like during the 1800’s.  “Elgin’s casts could be important records of the state of the sculptures in the very early 19th-century before modern pollution would hasten their deterioration,” says researcher Emma Payne. (more…)

Catherine Opie will be the first endowed chair in the art department of UCLA, LA Times reports.  “This allows my area to grow,” Opie said. “The Resnicks have been really generous, not only to the university as a whole — but I’ve really appreciated what they’ve done for the department.” (more…)

Bettina Korek of Frieze LA will take over as new head of the Serpentine Galleries.  “Some of the most compelling qualities of LA as a city are embodied by the Serpentine as an institution: intrepid innovation, fluidity across disciplines, an irrepressible preoccupation with the future. I am honoured to share the responsibility of leading the Serpentine into its 50th year and to continue to cultivate creative and philanthropic synergy between London, the US and the rest of the world,” she said in a statement. (more…)

A piece in Bloomberg traces the ongoing dispute between dealer Inigo Philbrick and the mysterious Guzzini Properties LTD.m uncovering that the company is owned by David and Simon Reuben.  “My clients are philanthropic collectors, who, unfortunately, must now litigate to secure their rightful title to artworks after their good-faith, arm’s-length purchases,” says lawyer Wendy Lindstrom. (more…)

Heidi Bucher, Untitled (c. 1954)

With the Venice Biennale recently closing, only a few exhibitions remain on view in the city. Fortunately, for those who choose to visit this month, there is an exhibition at ALMA ZEVI featuring works by Heidi Bucher. Entitled Sublime Geometry, the show offers moments for discovery just as Venice harbors a wintry magic: in the quiet, crepuscular afternoon hours you arrive to this tucked away gallery space to find walls glowing with mother of pearl pigment.

Born in the Swiss town of Winterthur, Bucher studied textile design under Max Bill at the School of Applied Art in Zurich where she made silk collages that are enchanting for their varying degrees of precision and inexactitude. One work hangs in a corner of the gallery and invites closer inspection; illuminated from certain angles, it gives off a subtle luster redolent of a Vija Celmins Night Sky.

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After sharing this year’s Turner Prize, Lawrence Abu Hamdan has won the 2019 Edvard Munch Art Award, which includes a residency and $50,000. A statement by the Munchmuseet noted the institution “values the artist’s commitment to human rights and his capacity to address urgent political subjects through his art.” (more…)