The New York Times reviews The Cooper Union‘s current struggle to find solutions to their financial deficits.  While the famed art-educational institution has not charged tuition for over one hundred years, current budgetary issues have forced the school to re-evaluate its position.  Now, as a decision on charging undergraduate tuition nears, faculty, students and alumni are immersed in a fervent debate over the school’s future.  “There will be some tough decisions,” says president Jamshed Bharucha said. “There have to be. Because the model that has been in place cannot be sustained.” (more…)

Massimiliano Gioni, the 39-year old director of special exhibitions at the New Museum in New York, sat down with the Wall Street Journal recently to discuss his upcoming position as the youngest curator for the Venice Biennale in one hundred years, his history of innovative exhibitions, and his inclusive take on conceptual and contemporary art.  “We need to remind ourselves that contemporary art is first of all a form of conceptual gymnastics, in which we learn to coexist with what we don’t understand,” he says. (more…)

Claes Oldenburg, Pastry Case (1961-62), via Guggenheum Bilbao

Guggenheim Bilbao is currently exhibiting work by legendary American pop artist Claes Oldenburg (born 1929), focusing on the sculpture, performance and installation artist’s early work from the 1960s.  Pulling from the conceptually dense and thematically broad practice of his formative years, this is the largest show of work ever exhibited from this period in Oldenburg’s life.

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The auction room at Christie’s, via Christie’s

With the conclusion of Contemporary Art Auction Week yesterday in London, dealers, collectors and artists headed home, having seen well over $200 million exchanged during what many are calling a particularly successful season.  This year, Asian, Russian, and other international collectors continued to make their presence known, including a number of first- time bidders who swooped in one some of the more highly valued works available.  (more…)

Keith Sonnier, Lit Circle Blue with Etched Glass (1968), via Mary Boone Gallery

Mary Boone’s Chelsea gallery is currently glowing with Keith Sonnier’s early fluorescent works from 1968 – 1970, on view through February 23. Along with Bruce Nauman, Eva Hesse, and Donald Judd, Sonnier’s approach to spatial and aesthetic considerations  radically changed the conceptions of sculpture, embracing experimentation with unconventional materials and approaches to presentation.  The works on view at Mary Boone mark the period in which Sonnier first began working with neon light tubes, using them as a method to explore everyday materials, and to examine the impact that light makes on the surrounding environment.

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Sotheby’s is being sued by a past seller for damages over a work they allegedly misattributed.  The Cardsharps, attributed by the auction house to a “follower of Caravaggio,” was sold for £42,000, and later identified as an authentic Caravaggio by its purchaser, scholar Denis Mahon, increasing its value to an estimated £10 million.  The claimant, Lancelot William Thwaytes, seeks unspecified damages, interests and costs for the value of the painting above its original selling price, but Sotheby’s is standing by their attribution.  “Our view is also supported by the market, which gave its verdict on this painting when it set the price at £50,400. ”  The company said in a statement. (more…)

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has accepted the invitation to design the Serpentine Gallery’s 2013 summer pavilion in Kensington Gardens, London.  His 350 square meter design, a steel lattice-work “cloud,” was selected from a competitive pool of designs, and makes him the youngest architect to accept this invitation at 41.  “We are thrilled to be working with one of the most fascinating architects in the world today. Sou Fujimoto has designed a structure that will enthral everyone that encounters it throughout the summer.”   Said Serpentine Director Julia Peyton-Jones and Co-Director Hans Ulrich Obrist in a statement. (more…)

Fire at Pratt Institute, via Brooklyn News 12

A brutal, four-alarm fire broke out in the main building of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on of the major arts schools in New York City, late last night, causing a partial collapse of the building’s roof, and massive damage to its structure and facade. (more…)

James Franco, Gay Town (2012), via Peres Projects

Peres Projects located in Berlin is presenting a month-long, solo exhibition by American actor, filmmaker, writer and artist James Franco from Saturday February 9th, titled GAY TOWN.

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The British Library has digitized its full collection of Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks, allowing any viewer to browse the Renaissance master’s personal manuscripts and illustrations.  Covering many years of work, the notebooks include plans, sketches, shopping lists and schematics for unfinished projects and architectural innovations.  The self-taught artist and scientist had been a prolific note-maker during his lifetime, but never took pains to publish these works in a widely readable format.   (more…)

Anselm Kiefer, Die Ungeborenen (Installation View) via Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Exploring the origin and creation of life, Die Ungeborenen (“The Unborn”) is a new collection of canvases and sculptures by German artist Anselm Kiefer, currently on view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac’s new Pantin location in Paris.

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A nanoscale study of paint chips from works by Pablo Picasso has strengthened historians’ claims that he may have been one of the first master painters to shift over from traditional oil paints to house paints.  Researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory and Art Institute of Chicago discovered levels of zinc oxide and iron in Picasso’s work that matched the levels of 1930’s household paint brand Ripolin.  “We have opened the nanoworld to culture heritage.” Says researcher Volker Rose . (more…)

A Miami pastor and art dealer has been arrested for attempting to sell several forged works attributed to British artist Damien Hirst.  Kevin Sutherland had approached Sotheby’s in December about selling one of Mr. Hirst’s “spin” paintings at auction, but when the auction house realized the work as forgery, it promptly contacted the New York Police Department.  Working undercover, officers arrested Sutherland after he attempted to sell them several more forged Hirsts in Gramercy Park Hotel last week. (more…)

Juergen Teller, Installation View, via The ICA

Juergen Teller leads a life that is far from the norm in fine art. Despite his ubiquitous gallery shows and openings, Teller also embraces the commercial world of photography; touring with rock stars and shooting celebrities around the globe. Regardless, the photographer has always been regarded as the ‘antithesis’ of what should constitute conventional Haute Couture photography.  In order to illustrate the artists distinctive and breathtaking style, the ICA in London is currently presenting a retrospective covering the broad expanse of Teller’s career, along with recent works that steer away from the limelight of his previous glossy campaigns and focus on more subdued topics such as portraiture of his family and friends.

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Eva Hesse, No Title (1965), via Hauser and Wirth

Eva Hesse’s 1965, on view at Hauser and Wirth in London, is a visual representation of a productive period in the late artist’s life.  Named after the formative year in which the pieces on view were created, it reflects the artist’s physical and mental states during this period, a time when she undertook a residency at Kettwig an der Ruhr, Germany.  Living in an abandoned textile factory, Hesse built a new style of working from the sewing machines, fabrics and other cast-off material in her space, simultaneously building a new artistic and personal awareness for herself in the process.

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Tracey Emin, Floating, (2012), via Galleria Lorcan O’Neill

Currently open in Rome, Galleria Lorcan O’Neill’s fourth presentation of Tracey Emin’s work is a mature, low-key, yet penetrating selection of the artist’s diverse practice, showcased in both of their spaces on Via Orti D’Aliberti.  Emin has recently been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), as well as a professor of drawing at the Royal Academy (RA) along with Fiona Rae, making them the first two women to be elected into the academy.  Given her entrance into these exclusive circles as an official representative of British culture, the Italian location of this show offers an interesting reevaluation of Emin’s art.
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Yayoi Kusama announced this week that she is ending her partnership with the Gagosian Gallery, and joining David Zwirner Gallery’s already formidable roster of artists.  The news comes after several months of speculation and rumors that Kusama would be breaking her ties with Gagosian. (more…)

Paul Klee, Comedians’ Handbill (1938), via Metropolitan Museum of Art

On view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through February 24, “Late Klee” presents a concentrated survey of the last fifteen years of Paul Klee’s life and career. The one-room exhibition consists largely of small-sized works on paper and cardboard, each representing a facet of the artist’s prolific oeuvre and wide-ranging interests. (more…)

Gagosian Gallery has just announced the death of Richard Artschwager, mere days after the closing of his retrospective exhibition at The Whitney Museum in New York City.  He was 89.  Artschwager’s unique path helped to define the perceptual and spatial explorations of conceptual and minimalist art while retaining the artist’s personal aesthetic.  Often utilizing objects from the everyday, he continually sought to explore the interaction between object and space, notably in his reworkings of chairs, pianos, and tables.   The artist’s work had been the subject of several major exhibitions worldwide, including shows at the Centre Pompidou, Deutsche Guggenheim, and the aforementioned Whitney Museum.  (more…)

Peter Saul, Francis Bacon Descending a Staircase (2012), via Mary Boone

Defying critical characterization and classification for the bulk of their careers, artists Jim Shaw and Peter Saul have continually pushed the art of figurative drawing in new directions.  Exploring the multi-generational impact of these two artists, curator Klaus Kertess has brought the two artists together at Mary Boone New York to exhibit a selection of their works on paper.  Bringing the subconscious to the forefront of the viewer’s attention, the artists’ show is packed with images of altered realities, presented in their trademark styles.

Jim Shaw, Dream Drawing (1996), via Mary Boone

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The sale of Berthe Morisot’s Après le déjeuner for £6,985,250 at Christie’s Modern Art Auction this week has set a new record for female painters.  The record highlights a major difference in market value between male and female painters, with top sales for male artists far beyond that sales range.  While institutions like the Museum of Modern Art have pushed for more equitable status for female artists, some speculate that monied interests have still not caught up in appreciation of contemporary female artists. (more…)

An unnamed collector has come forward, claiming that he has found an upper section of Gustave Courbet’s immediately recognizable nude, “Origin of the World.”  The new segment depicts the subject’s head and sholders, complimenting the notorious section of the work primarily depicting her genitalia, that now hangs at the Musée D’Orsay.  The new section has been confirmed by leading Courbet expert Jean-Jacques Fernier, who says that he is “convinced” that the works are two parts of the whole. (more…)

Beginning their eight night run at Tate Modern last night, German electronic museum pioneers Kraftwerk played their debut album Autobahn to a crowd of 1,250 in the museum’s Turbine Hall.  Mirroring their run of shows at New York’s Museum of Modern Art last year, the band will play one of their eight full length albums each night, closing on February 14th with their last album, Tour de France.  “I saw them three-and-a-half years ago at the Manchester Velodrome and now that the whole show is in 3D and with surround sound, it’s incredible. It’s amazing that 40 years into their career, they’re still relevant,” said Andy McCluskey of electronic act Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark. (more…)

Eugène Delacroix’s iconic work “Liberty Leading the People” has been defaced by a vandal at the Louvre Museum in Lens, Northern France.  The famous work was vandalized near closing time on Thursday evening by a woman described by prosecutors as “unstable.”  The museum has already sent restoration experts to examine that damage, and has stated that the work should be “easily cleaned.” (more…)