Disturbances in the MOCA’s upper ranks may have caused the museum to shift the date of its second annual Art+ Film gala from 13 November 2012 to a date in the spring of 2013. An e-mail from the institution revealed the change. Within the past year, at least seven board members are reputed to have left their posts, former director Paul Schimmel was let go, and opinions are said to be divided about the current leadership.
The “Andy Monument,” formerly located in New York City’s Union Square, began its journey on Tuesday to its next stop, the Houston Contemporary Arts Museum. The artwork, made by Rob Pruitt and commissioned by the Public Arts Fund had been positioned in front of a former Warhol studio location.
Street artist Shepard Fairey has been fined $25,000 and ordered to serve two years of probation by a New York court after being found guilty in his longstanding battle with Associated Press. Fairey was accused of infringing copywright laws by using a 2006 AP photograph to create his signature “Hope” Obama poster. In 2009, Fairey admitted that he had “destroy[ed] documents and submitt[ed] false images” and in February this year entered a guilty plea to one instance of “criminal contempt.”
Top bosses from rival houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s may soon be joining forces in a “super-dealer” partnership. Stephane C. Connery, former worldwide director of Private sales at Sotheby’s, and Thomas Seydoux, erstwhile chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s, are likely to be partners in a firm Connery, Pissarro, Seydoux, and would ostensibly bring a wealth of connections in the art world to the organization, which would be based in Paris and New York.
Bruce Nauman, Days (2009) (Installation View)
At Bruce Nauman‘s “Days” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, a voice recites the days of the week, moving at its own pace, order and cadence along the seven item list, repeating it ad infinitum. It is joined by thirteen other voices doing the same, each one listing the days in their own unique rhythm and order, creating a cacophony of human sound, calling to attention our own treatments of time, and gently playing with the concepts of relative values.
The Tacheles arts squat, a former hotspot for creatives in Berlin, has been closed by city police. The former warehouse, located in the city’s former Eastern district, became a well known hub for members of the arts scene after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Its owner, HSN Nordbank, decided to demolish the site as it was hindering the progress of area development. The building, covering 1,250 square meters, had previously served as a shopping center, a corporation headquarters and a Nazi Party office.
Scottish painter Peter Doig speaks about his life in Trinidad as he prepares for his upcoming exhibition, New Works at Michael Werner Gallery in London, opening this September 27th. Doig, who moved to the Caribbean island ten years ago, discusses his “hoarding” of images, and how this enables him to combine mental pictures in his work. The Scottish artists works have sold for up to £6 million, making him at one time the most expensive living painter in Europe.
Ilfracombe, North Devon could soon be featuring a bronze Damien Hirst statue on its pier, after county council members approved the potential addition. Hirst offered a 20-year loan of the bronze work, entitled Verity, to the small town. If the executive council approves the move, the town is expected to receive the piece in October.
Amsterdam art museums the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk are expected to reopen to the public in the coming months, after several years of renovations. The Rijksmuseum, which houses a large collection of “Golden Age” pieces by Dutch masters such as Rembrandt, has announced that it will be accessible again on April 13, 2013 following a closure of ten years. The Stedelijk, whose focus veers towards more modern and contemporary art, has been shut for eight years, and has set a re-opening date of September 23, 2012.
British band Florence and the Machine will headline the second Art + Film Gala hosted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a stark contrast from last year’s choice of Stevie Wonder. The annual event, to be co-chaired by Leonardi Di Caprio and museum trustee Eva Chow on October 27, was conceived by the Museum to raise the profile of film and raised $3 million in 2011.
Andy Warhol – Marlon (1966) to be auctioned November 14, 2012 by Christie’s in New York City
Representatives at The Andy Warhol Foundation for Arts have announced today that the organization will donate or sell its remaining collection of works by Andy Warhol over the coming years and will become solely a funding source for non-profit arts groups. Although the Foundation does not reputedly possess “big-name” paintings by the artist, such as the instantly recognizable Campbell’s Soup Cans (1966), it holds a selection of previously unseen pieces, like a Jacqueline Kennedy collage from the 1960s. The sales are expected to bring in about $100 million, and will be conducted with Christie’s auction house.
Andy Warhol – Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962), MoMA
Artists Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe will transform Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery into a “junkyard fantasy” as part of their latest project, which hosts a grimy subterranean world with elements of sci-fi and squalor, described by Freeman as the debris after “some horrible event had happened and everyone had to evacuate.” Since their breakout work, Hello Meth Lab In The Sun, in 2008, (beginning in Marfa, reiterated in Art Basel Miami and Deitch projects in New York) shows of varying edginess have followed. “Shadow Pool: A Natural History of the San San International,” held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, was the pair’s most recent solo venture.
Paul McCarthy – Dirty Dotty, Yellow (1995), Hauser and Wirth, Zurich
Currently on view at Hauser and Wirth Zurich is a selection of 60 photographs from PROPO, the ongoing project of American multi-media artist Paul McCarthy. Examining the ongoing process of work, documentation and presentation constantly at play in an artist’s career, the PROPO photographs present a new facet to McCarthy’s already diverse body of work.
Paul McCarthy – Daddies Ketchup (1995), Hauser and Wirth, Zurich
A Raphael drawing and medieval manuscripts may set records when they are auctioned by Sotheby’s on December 5th. The Duke of Devonshire has decided to auction the Raphael with an estimated value of £10 million to £15 million in an attempt to raise money to preserve his home. The drawing, which was purchased 300 years ago, has been kept in the family collection at Chatsworth, Derbyshire, but the Duke has stated that “living at Chatsworth is a very expensive business.” He stated further, “It is the first time that any work of art has been sold from Chatsworth for a purpose other than paying taxes. I deeply regret it.”
L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art has planned a special board meeting for this week after a summer of discontent and upheaval. This comes after Paul Schimmel, the museum’s long time chief curator was forced to resign in June due to tension between him and director, Jeffrey Deitch. Many board members, including prominent artists, have resigned or voiced their dissatisfaction in the wake of this decision, and thus the meeting is critical to unify the board and ensure financial support in the future.
Ugo Rondinone – Nude (2012), Cycladic Art Museum
Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone has built a reputation for himself as an artist who doesn’t stay in one place very long. Exploring a variety of themes through panting, installation, video, sculpture and drawing, Rondinone seems to use his art as a way to explore context, shaping his exhibitions and pieces to interact with their location on a metaphorical level.
The Tate Modern is considering adding a 1.5 ton, 16.5 meter long wind turbine blade, carried to the gallery by Liberate Tate, to its permanent collection. The group, which opposes the Tate’s sponsorship by the oil company BP, renamed the blade “the gift” and installed it in the Tate’s turbine hall last month. The group then wrote to gallery director, Sir Nicholas Serota, “We think that it is a work that will fit elegantly in the Tate collection, a work that celebrates a future that gives rather than takes away, a monument to a world in transition.” Serota has responded that the offer will be discussed with trustees later this month, and until then the turbine will be housed in storage.
The first half of 2012 has seen a marked drop in art sales, especially in Asia. Total profits in China’s “big four” auction houses were down 32% from the fall of 2011.This comes after the Asian art market had expanded drastically in 2011, causing many to wonder if China’s art bubble has been popped. William Ruprecht, Sotheby’s chief executive, credits the decline in results to economic weakness worldwide and fewer single-owner sales than in the spring of 2011, a record-breaking season.
Nate Lowman discusses his views on fashion in an interview with AnOther Magazine. “Fashion is about order, good ideas always begin wild. But like we said, fashion has language. You can get structure to a wild idea, and that enables you to communicate. It works in art, but in fashion, that’s the rule.”
Salon reports that interest in buying art has risen in Rio de Janeiro, as Brazil’s economy has been thriving. The middle class has taken to collecting art, an endeavor once thought to be relegated to the country’s elite, and has in turn put Rio on the international art map. The paradigm shift has changed such that larger dealers such as Larry Gagosian will participate in ArtRio this year, the second year of the city’s art fair. The fair’s debut last year was wildly successful, attracting 80 galleries from around the world and grossing $60 million.
The Wall Street Journal writes on the subject of the market for Islamic art which has been growing in the past few years, coinciding with many museums around the globe opening new Islamic wings. Many experts believe that Islamic art has been undervalued, and that a collector could easily build a museum-level collection, way below its long term market value. Though sales are growing, totals have varied from year to year, the combined sales of Sotheby’s and Christie’s peaked at $78.9 million in 2011, but this past spring the auction houses only brought in $23.3 million. It is, however, an emotional market, states William Robinson, Christie’s international head of Islamic Art, “When things are going well, prices go way over the top estimate. Six months later, an identical object gets no response.”
Alighiero Boetti, Mappa (1971-72).
On view at the Museum of Modern Art through October 1, “Alighiero Boetti: Game Plan,” is an ambitious retrospective that explores both the chronology and the conceptual development of an artist who was engaged in many of the most important currents of twentieth century artistic practice. Until this year, Boetti (1940-1994) had not had an exhibition of this scope outside of Italy. MoMA’s current show, organized in conjunction with the Museo Reina SofÃa in Madrid and the Tate Modern in London and curated by Christian Rattemeyer, offers a fresh look at Boetti’s oeuvre and makes a convincing argument for his originality and continued importance.
The New York Times reports on how, as fine art for sale has become increasingly available online in the past few years, a byproduct of so many reputable businesses selling via the internet is that it has become easier for frauds and forgeries to be passed off as well. Most commonly fakes are violations of artists’ copyrights and trademarks or claims that authorized reproductions are limited editions. Buyers as well, are more inclined to base their judgement off of whether an online seller packed and shipped on time or answer questions promptly, as they believe that they can spot the difference between a real work and a fake.
The Economist writes on how as the value of art continues to increase, art insurers worry about the increased risks their companies face, especially as works are placed in storage alongside other valuable objects. Warehouses called “free ports”, because of the tax free nature, hold collections of objects worth into the billions, making them very risky for art insurance companies.