More accusations have come to light this week in the case between Dmitriy Rybolovlev and Yves Bouvier, as the Russian billionaire accused the dealer of overcharging him on a number of deals taking place over the course of the last decade.  “The level of art expertise of any of the victims of this massive fraud is irrelevant,” a spokesman for Rybolovlev says. “The underlying dishonesty resides in the structure of the hidden margins amounting to $1 billion, and how the victims were made to believe that these secret margins were part of the purchase price.” (more…)

A Spanish court has denied the U.S.’s extradition request for José Carlos Bergantiños Díaz, citing poor health.  Bergantiños Díaz is wanted in connection with the Knoedler Gallery sales of fraudulent works, with some believing he masterminded the deal. (more…)

The Guardian looks at a recent series of artists’ works looking at real estate inequality, and exploring the social conditions, government policy and wealth that often shape urban development.  “You don’t see the people making your shirt or picking your food,” says artist Rosten Woo, who is developing a project in LA’s Skid Row neighborhood, “but you can see inequality really clearly when your neighbors change, or you yourself having to leave your apartment. It’s not the worst aspect of our particular moment in capitalism, but it is the most visible. People want to talk about it, but it’s not where I think the conversation should end. I think it does suggest it’s a way into a much larger phenomenon.” (more…)

The Nahmad Family is opening a new contemporary art space on Cork Street in London, inaugurating it with a single-day performance by 30 artists.  The group was selected through an open call in which each submitted a script inspired by the work of Tino Seghal.  “I’m delighted to see the breadth of creativity across the artists’ submissions and look forward to seeing the thirty performances animate the space,” says Joseph Nahmad.  “The level of experimentation is exciting and I hope that visitors will enjoy engaging with each and every work.” (more…)

A Hans Holbein the Younger portrait of Jane Seymour, Queen of England from 1536-1537, has been discovered in Cambridge.  The painting has hung unnoticed on the wall of a town house in the city for over 100 years.  Consultants identified the sitter and further tests traced the painting’s date to around 1532. (more…)

LA’s Moran Bondaroff has opened an exhibition space in an abandoned Detroit church, after fellow dealer Paul Johnson purchased the space at auction and lent it to the gallery.  “My hope is that we do this as we would any other project in any other city and that good things happen from it,” says gallery partner Al Moran.  “I’ll let other people pass judgment on how this helps or hurts the city.” (more…)

Sotheby’s decision to allow billionaire Dmitriy Rybolovlev access to a series of private deal terms in its books has left many dealers and art world insiders shocked, the New York Post reports.  “Confidentiality is the cornerstone of the art business,” says one dealer, Ezra Chowaiki. “We expect it. Not fighting for confidentiality sets a chilling precedent.” (more…)

Jarrett Gregory, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Eric Shiner, Director of The Andy Warhol Museum have been appointed as the curators for the 2017 edition of The Armory Show.  “I am very excited to be curating part of the 2017 Armory Fair and in particular the Focus section, which for the first time will not be restricted by geographical parameters,” Gregory says.  “Within this freedom I anticipate that geography, in a looser definition, will be more important than ever. The artists I am considering each convey a sense of urgency toward our own historical moment and I am interested in addressing complex subject matter within the context of the fair.”

Jenny Saville, Ebb and Flow (2015) © Jenny Saville. Photograph by Ashmolean Museum Photo Studio

Jenny Saville is known for her large-scale oil paintings of bodies in flux, and associated with flesh in all its forms: living, dead, young, old, human and animal. There is a fascination with the mass, weight, and transmutability of the body that runs throughout Saville’s impressive and applauded career, and now, Gagosian’s London space is presenting Erota, an exhibition of new drawings by the artist that equally represent a continuation of themes, questioning of previous work, and a departure into new territory. (more…)

The WSJ takes an inside look at the experimental art school founded by Vik Muniz in one of Rio’s favelas, which has been chosen for inclusion in this year’s Architecture Biennale.  “To design and build in a favela is a huge challenge because of the topography and because it’s so dense,” says curator Washington Fajardo. “What’s interesting about Escola Vidigal is that it creates a dialogue with the pre-existing built environment while improving the quality of the space.” (more…)

The Rijksmuseum has named Taco Dibbits, the museum’s current director of collections, as its new director, following the departure of Wim Pijbes.  “It’s one of the most beautiful museums in the world, and it’s a dream come true for me,” Dibbits told the New York Times. “I’ve already got a fantastic team of people, and we hope that we can make as many people as possible enjoy and be inspired, and be touched by, the great works of art that the museum houses.” (more…)

Seven people have been arrested in Spain, in connection with the theft of five Francis Bacon paintings valued at â‚¬25m.  Police found the works after receiving photographs from British investigators, and tracing the camera equipment used to photograph the works.  “It is not at all easy to sell a Francis Bacon, large or small, without that getting to the ears of those who pore over such a rarified sector,” one expert said of the theft. (more…)

New York Gallery Clifton Benevento has made the decision to close its doors, Artforum reports. The gallery’s last day open to the public will be tomorrow, May 31st. (more…)

Cindy Sherman, Untitled (2016), via Art Observed

Currently on view at Metro Pictures, Cindy Sherman has installed a series of new photographs, portraits that mark her first new body of work in five years. The pieces, exploring more nuanced cultural frameworks at play in Hollywood image production, feel like a fitting conclusion to a long-running body of work, while expanding Sherman’s critical dialogue with the image through a studious selection of figures and contexts.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled (2016), via Art Observed

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The Georgia O’Keefe museum has acquired a rare 1926 work by the artist, an abstracted landscape that showcases her expressive craft outside of her more traditional subject matter, and captures the country home of her and her husband Alfred Stieglitz.  “Of the subjects O’Keeffe pursued at Lake George in the 1920s—her most prolific decade—the various barns on the Stieglitz property most directly connect her to the interests of various members of the Stieglitz circle and other American modernists to identify distinctly national subjects,” the museum said in a statement. (more…)

David Shrigley will install a version of his work Memorial at Central Park this summer, a towering gravestone with a grocery list engraved across its surface.  “He’s best known for a unique drawing style that makes satirical comments on everyday interactions,” says associate curator Emma Enderby of the Public Art Fund, which commissioned the piece. “It’s absurd, it’s funny but it’s also sad and poignant.” (more…)

Artist Katharina Grosse will create one of her signature paint spatter installations on the aquatics building at Fort Tilden Beach this summer, part of MoMA PS1’s Rockaway! event. The work will coat the decaying building in flashes of bright colors, while emphasizing its architectural style. (more…)

Claire Danes has signed on to host a new iteration of PBS’s Art21’s TV series, “Art in the Twenty-First Century.”  “Artists today influence how we see the world, how we express ourselves and how art can transform society,” Danes says. (more…)

Terence Koh is featured in the New York Times this week, as the artist discusses his recent work and the inspiration behind the Bee Chapel, an installation that seeks to find spiritual resonance with an active group of honey bees.  “We create the sense that everything in the show is living in a vibration,” Koh says. (more…)

Gerhard Richter, 940-6 Abstraktes Bild (2015), via Art Observed

Gerhard Richter has returned to New York City this month, opening a diverse exhibition of new works at Marian Goodman Gallery, including a continuation of his Abstraktes Bild and Aladin series, alongside a new group of abstract drawings. (more…)

Following its merger with Auctionata, Paddle8 has seen a series of high-profile departures and lay-offs, Art News reports.  Editorial Director Sarah Hanson in particular was one of the lay-offs, which sources indicate means that the company will do away with or drastically scale back its editorial arm.  “A merger is an inevitable inflection point, and in the past month Paddle8 has seen the departure of some of our colleagues in the lead up to and following our merger with Auctionata,” co-founder Osman Khan said.  “Some left to pursue other passions and opportunities, and others as a result of corporate restructuring. In all cases, we are grateful for their contributions to Paddle8.” (more…)

Alex Katz is profiled in the Telegraph this week, as the artist completes a new series of paintings for a show at London’s Serpentine Galleries, and reflects on his inspirations, among them Cézanne’s landscapes.  “I was looking at his stuff and saying: ‘See, the guy couldn’t paint, it’s terrible, this is overworked’ – stuff like that,” he says. “Then, when I got on a train, all I could see were Cézanne landscapes. His vision is so strong that it dominates your mind. And that, for me, is the highest thing an artist can do.” (more…)

The BBC reports on the 10-year restoration process for Sebastiano del Piombo’s The Adoration of the Shepherds, an ambitious undertaking that sought to repair the damage caused by the removal of the work from its original surface using acid.  Conservators have been repairing acid damage and removing added layers of paint to the work before attempting to return the work to its original form. “We were delving down to discover if we could uncover the original and, knowing there was damage, whether we could reconstruct those so we could hang the painting as a painting, rather than as an archaeological fragment,” says Rupert Featherstone of The Hamilton Kerr Institute, which worked to repair the piece at the Fitzwilliam Museum. (more…)

The Qatari Royal Family has settled its case over the Pablo Picasso bust, but details of the ownership of the work have not been disclosed in court filings.  “It having been reported to this court that these actions have been or will be settled, these actions are discontinued without costs to any party,” U.S. District Judge William Pauley said in a court order. (more…)