Roman Signer, Flasche (Bottle) (2007)

The summer season means a few things for the art world: beach installations, special projects in the Hamptons, and of course, group shows. During the hot summer months many galleries are presenting selections of works by different artists through various thematic ideas, giving gallery goers the opportunity to discover new readings between different artists’ works.  Among these galleries is Koenig & Clinton, hosting Fixing a Hole, a group exhibition investigating the notion of “fixing” in both meanings: mending what is broken and securing what is unstable. The tightly-curated selection focuses on a niche concept, making the occasionally challenging group show tradition an appealing one. Works in various mediums articulate the instincts of correction and stabilization of a dysfunctional case, arguing for the sensation of readjustment. (more…)

Tara Donovan, Untitled (2014) via Art Observed

The geometric, visually imaginative work of Tara Donovan takes its inspiration from simple movements, simple gestures elevated by their repetition and internal harmony.  Her work finds its form through the interaction of its elements, the spatial and compositional considerations of her materials, placed in close proximity and allowed to engage in a conversation between each singular element and the final form these pieces ultimately create.

Tara Donovan, Untitled (2014) via Art Observed

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Gallerist Dominique Lévy has announced plans to open a London exhibition space in the Mayfair district, following the opening of her Upper East Side gallery last year.  “We are pleased and proud to announce our new space in London,” says Lévy. “Our gallery’s program and culture represent an ongoing, spirited dialogue between Europe and America. And our team embodies that dialogue, with Europeans working in New York and Americans working in London.”   (more…)

The New Museum has promoted curator Massimiliano Gioni to the position of Artistic Director, putting him at the forefront of the institution’s short-term and long-term planning. “Widely recognized as one of the most influential and admired curators working today, Massimiliano represents the New Museum around the world at major art events and through his lectures at many international venues,” says Director Lisa Phillips.

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A coalition of major businesses and corporations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Meijer; Comerica Bank; the JPMorgan Chase Foundation; Consumers Energy and Delta Air Lines Foundation have pledged over $26 million towards a $100 million commitment the Detroit Institute of Arts has made to protect its collection from the auction block.  The donation brings the museum three quarters of the way towards its goal, after similar donations were received earlier this year from the Big Three automakers and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and J. Paul Getty Trust. (more…)

The newest Hauser and Wirth space in Somerset opens its doors this week in the small town of Bruton.  The new gallery is celebrating its opening with a show of works by artist Phyllida Barlow, titled Gig.  But is also showing a number of site-specific installations on its expansive grounds. (more…)

Ramallah-based artist Khaled Jarrar, part of the New Museum’s group exhibition on contemporary Arabic art, has been prevented by Israeli authorities from leaving the country to attend the museum exhibition.  Jarrar, whose works often explore and document the flux and bureaucratic grey areas of the Israeli-Palestinian borders, was blocked from leaving for “security reasons.” (more…)

Albert Oehlen, Untitled (2012), all images courtesy Gagosian Gallery

On view at Gagosian Beverly Hills is an exhibition of recent large scale paintings by German artist Albert Oehlen, showcasing the artist’s continued interests in both abstract painterly gesture and the intersections of modernity with the act of painting. The exhibition will remain on view through July 18, 2014.

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A strange disagreement has arisen over the authenticity of a site-specific Damien Hirst spot painting, after a homeowner has attempted to remove the work from its location and sell it.  Jess Simpson purchased the home where the work was installed, and attempted to mount the piece on aluminum to resell it, but was met with a statement by Hirst’s Science LTD. which stated the work no longer could be considered authentic as Simpson did not own the certificate, and could not remove a site-specific work to profit from it: “The ownership of a wall painting in the series titled Wall Spots always resides with the owner of the Wall Spots signed certificate, which accompanies the art work.” (more…)

Adrian Ghenie, Darwin and the Satyr (2014) ©Adrian Ghenie Courtesy of The Pace Gallery

Tempestuous, chaotic and captivating are only a few of the many attributions to describe the delirious colors and harmonics of Adrian Ghenie. Born and raised in Romania, the thirty-seven year old artist often experiments with the set techniques of painting through extensions and variations of narrative, conveying eerie tales of decay and disarray throughout his works. On view at Pace Gallery in London until July 25th is Ghenie’s most recent body of work, featuring nine oil on linen paintings and a large-scale room installation, reflecting the artist’s approach to the roots of Western ideology and the impact of intellectual thinking. (more…)

Larry Clark, Knoxville (homage to Brad Renfro) (2011) all images via Osman Can Yerebakan

Currently on view at Luhring Augustine is a career spanning exhibition of Larry Clark, one of the most vocal representatives of the American youth since the early 60’s. Tulsa, the inspiration and the namesake of his infamous photography book, is where Clark began experimenting with photography at an early age with his mother’s camera, using his circle of friends as his object of interest.  Clark started to document the suburban lifestyle through the lens of a generation engaged with drug use, underage sex and violence. Adding further weight to the already graphic nature of his subject matter, the rawness and the honesty of Clark’s perspective as an insider’s point of view has marked him as one of the foremost voices in American photography. (more…)

Korakrit Arunanondchai has unveiled the trailer for his newest exhibition Letters to Chantri #1, opening this Friday at The Mistake Room.  Arunanondchai’s trailer continues his engagement with a cinematic approach to his work and his own artistic narrative, and features shots of him creating several of his body paint canvases, as his denim-clad assistants look on.  “Those paintings that you make,” the video text says, “they suffocate you.”  (more…)

A 30-inch statue representing the god Sekhemka broke the world record for highest auction price of an Egyptian artwork last Thursday at Christie’s London. The statue, sold by the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, was estimated to sell for $7 to $11 million, but sold for over double its estimate, going to an anonymous bidder for $27 million. The museum has drawn criticism over the decision to sell the statue to fund a future expansion. “No other items from the museum’s collection will be sold off. “Sekhemka was an exceptional case,” said David Mackintosh of the Northampton Borough Council.

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Sterling Ruby has launched his collaborative fashion project with designer Raf Simons this week, with an online store titled inthenameof.be.  The site will look to launch weekly products, starting this week with a  work shirt and jeans spattered with typically messy splashes by Ruby. (more…)

MoMA PS1 Curator Christopher Lew has been hired on at the Whitney Museum as the institution’s new associate curator.  Lew has earned a reputation for groundbreaking shows of young and rising artists, and his group shows at PS1 had earned considerable praise.  “The Whitney is enjoying an exciting time of growth and I am thrilled and honored to join the museum as it prepares to return downtown,” he said in a statement. (more…)

The costs and logistics of the Guggenheim’s Helsinki expansion plans are causing a backlash against the museum in the Finnish capital, the New York Times reports.  “I felt some defensiveness and some very developed hostility to us, a fear which I was empathetic toward,” says Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong, “that the distinct local character of Helsinki would somehow be amalgamated into some sort of gigantic industrial apparatus.” (more…)

Eddie Martinez, Untitled (2013), via Art Observed

Based in Williamsburg, The Journal has carved out a unique path for itself in the contemporary discourse, representing a group of young artists that share a particular interest in the capacity for intersections of painting, printmaking, and conceptual practice.  Sharing techniques rooted in repetition, abstracted figuration, humor, and an occasionally visceral approach to the painterly mark, the artists embraced by The Journal have come to represent a markedly cohesive school of practice in New York over the past years. (more…)

Exhibition View at Kamel Mennour, via Andrea Nguyen for Art Observed

At first glance, the works of James Lee Byars and Anish Kapoor are vastly divergent in their presentations and practices, particular when compared side by side at Kamel Mennour’s fascinating show of works by the two artists.  Kapoor’s works vacillate between the elegantly transient illusions of his glass and aluminum sculptures and the rugged, roughshod clusters of cement he puts forward as a counterpoint. By comparison, Byars’s work is a decidedly more minimal affair: simple elements covered over in gold leaf or minimalist marble pieces. (more…)

Sotheby’s has announced a partnership with online auction giant eBay, with the aim of offering easy access to streaming coverage of the auction house’s sales worldwide, and to broaden the company’s reach beyond its traditional buyer pool.   “Even if we only reach point 1 percent of eBay users, that’s huge for us,” says Sotheby’s COO Bruno Vinciguerra. “The point is to make our sales more accessible to the broadest possible audience around the world, all the while remaining totally committed to our high end.” (more…)

Alexander Calder, Occident (1975) all images courtesy Gagosian Gallery

On view at Gagosian Gallery in London is the second segment of a two-part exhibition of American sculptor and painter Alexander Calder’s gouache paintings. The first part was held in New York at Gagosian’s Madison Avenue location through June 14th, and on June 10th the second part opened in London, slated to continue through July 26th, 2014.

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The Winged Victory of Samothrace is back on view at The Louvre, following an extensive 8-month cleaning and restoration project.  Experts noted that some lost parts of the statue had been replaced with plaster, but also restored these pieces, maintaining evidence of the statue’s history. (more…)

A recent article by collector Ronald Lauder in the Wall Street Journal traces the number of claims over Nazi-looted art currently dogging museums in the U.S. and abroad, and advocates for a swift return of disputed works.  “Refusing to return stolen art because of the passage of time—not yet 70 years since Auschwitz was liberated—deprives museums of any claim to moral high ground,” Lauder writes. (more…)

The Washington Post is selling off its art collection, and allowing employees to have first choice at a discounted sales rate.  The collection includes a number of local artists as well as works by Alex Katz and other major figures.  “We wanted to do this as a farewell gesture to Post employees and to give corporate and newspaper employees an opportunity to own artworks they have enjoyed and loved,” said Rima Calderon, vice president for communications and external relations at Graham Holdings. (more…)

The final valuation of the Detroit Institute of Arts has topped $4.6 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports, a figure that could create notable complications for the city in bankruptcy court.  The report also notes that the immediate sales of these works does not appear to be a feasible method of raising funds.  “The report makes it abundantly clear that selling art to settle debt will not generate the kind of revenue the City’s creditors claim it will,” says Bill Nowling, spokesman for Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr. (more…)