Ann Freedman has reached a settlement in her $8.4 million case over the sale of a forged Mark Rothko. Freedman will still testify as part of the case against the Knoedler Gallery. “From the very beginning of these cases, Ann never wanted to keep a penny of the profits she made” says Lawyer Luke Nikas. (more…)
The New York Times reports on renewed efforts to restore the prominence of painter Karel Appel, a member of CoBrA and a pioneer of a unique style of figurative abstraction that was well-received in its time by has long sat outside the historical spotlight of post-war painting. “I’m a little bit surprised by all this, because for a while nothing happened to Appel,” the artist’s widow, Harriet Appel, says. “I see that many people are getting interested in Appel again, and there’s new research about Appel, there are younger artists now looking at Appel, and all these things shed a new light on that oeuvre.” (more…)
Jan Peter Hammer at Labor Gallery, all photos via Sophie Kitching for Art Observed
As Sunday drew to a close, another week of fairs, openings and events concluded in Mexico City, centered around the Zona Maco and Material Art Fairs in the sprawling metropolis. (more…)
Borden Capalino, Say Mr. Sandman (2016)
Greeting the visitors at the entrance to Lisa Cooley during Active Ingredient, a group exhibition curated by the gallery’s long time collaborator Alex Fleming, is Colette Lumiere’s Sleeping in a Glass Cabinet. Portraying the renowned artist, known for such sleeping performances from inside a glass vitrine during the 1970’s, this 1991 print vividly summarizes the content of the exhibition, delving into a material reinvigoration and transformation of works and their compositional elements through exposure to time and space. (more…)
Jonathan Borofsky, Acrylic on Unprimed Canvas with Bubble Wrap and Duct Tape at 2,680,377 (1978-80), all images via Osman Can Yerebakan for Art Observed
A large scale exhibition of historic work by artist Jonathan Borofsky is currently on view at Paula Cooper Gallery. Globally recognized for his large-scale, representational and industrious sculptures exploring and elaborating on the human condition in performative gestures, Borofsky’s work here exposes his cognition and subjective outlets. Compiled of modest scale sculpture, painting and print, the selection promises a studious route to the more remote corners of the artist’s practice. (more…)
Pablo Picasso, TeÌ‚te de Femme (1935), via Sotheby’s
The first week of February’s auctions concluded last evening, following a difficult set of sales at Sotheby’s that saw tepid, occasionally concerning results, with 13 of the 37 Impressionist and Modern works going unsold, bringing a total of £78,308,000, while the auction house’s small but impressive selection of 16 Surrealist pieces saw 2 go unsold, bringing the modest sale a tally of £14,860,500. (more…)
Michigan-based dealer Eric Spoutz has been arrested on federal charges for the sale of forged masterworks claimed to be by de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and more. Authorities allege he wove a web of lies and deceit over his collection of works and high connections in the art world. “The only real thing in this situation seems to be the financial losses the victims have incurred for purchasing what they thought were true works of art, whether for investment purposes or personal enjoyment,” says FBI New York assistant director Diego Rodriguez. (more…)
Christie’s Brooklyn will not have to pay $11.5 million in damages caused by flooding after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, following a New York state court decision this past month. The lawsuits were filed by several insurance companies to recoup the costs paid out to their clients. (more…)
, the massive Dutch fair of fine art, antiques and design, is expanding to New York this October, taking up most of the Park Avenue Armory for the first edition of Tefaf New York. “On numerous occasions, our exhibitors in Maastricht have expressed the need and desire for a Tefaf platform in the U.S., as have many private and institutional collectors,” says Patrick van Maris, chief executive of Tefaf. “Among the different possibilities Tefaf has explored over the past couple of years, this partnership with Artvest in the Park Avenue Armory New York really stood out. As the world’s most buoyant art market, New York is a perfect match.” (more…)
Takashi Murakami has a brief comment in the New York Times this week, discussing his collecting habits and aesthetic interests. The artist is opening a show of his personal collection of art and ephemera at the Yokohama Museum of Art in Japan. “For me, what is important is to hold works of art in my possession, to make the actual purchase,” he writes. “This is a hands-on way for me to experiment and learn about the personal value that pieces hold to collectors, their value as works of art and the traits by which they can be evaluated.” (more…)
Continuing his advocacy on Lesbos, Ai Weiwei is creating a work of art from over 14,000 life jackets, in an attempt to bring attention to the crimes committed by people smugglers in the Aegean. “This work aims to mobilize the global community regarding the crime carried out daily in the Aegean by ruthless people smugglers,” a statement reads. (more…)
The New York Times has a profile on Peter Fischli, one half of duo Fischli/Weiss, on the opening their career retrospective at the Guggenheim this week. “There’s a phrase in German — schiefe Ebene — which you kind of use to mean things going downhill,” he says at one point, gazing down the museum’s curved walkway. “And I think about this image of 30 years of art rolling down the hill. And I think, in this case, maybe it’s a good thing!” (more…)
Coverage of the lawsuit between the De Sole Family and Ann Freedman continues in Art News this week, with Mark Rothko’s son taking the chair Monday, and noting that he does not authenticate any of his father’s work. “I believe I described it as ‘beautiful,’” Rothko said of the work. “I believe it was descriptive, but I didn’t want to go further than that.” (more…)
The College Board is changing the structure of its AP art history program, seeking to rewrite cultural bias that has long been a contentious part of its focus. “It’s just isn’t acceptable anymore,” says Ronda Kasl, the Met’s first curator of Colonial Latin American art . “But it takes a while to remedy.” (more…)
Artist Philippe Parreno has been selected by Tate Modern and Hyundai Motor as the newest commission for the museum’s Turbine Hall, set to open later this year. This is the second commission sponsored by Hyundai, after Abraham Cruzvillegas’s installation last year. (more…)
Paul Chan’s publishing house Badlands Unlimited has opened a brick and mortar location on the Lower East Side, titled Y.oung P.ublisher 99¢ & Up. The space is run in conjunction with local business owners Mr. and Mrs. Yu, and will feature the company’s books alongside daily necessities and household items. “Badlands publishes books that are as essential as toiletries,” says Micaela Durand, director of Badlands. (more…)
The Art Newspaper profiles a Starbucks location in Chelsea that is currently selling work from young artists, with proceeds benefitting Free Arts NYC. “The space we’ve dedicated to art within our store enables emerging artists to gain exposure for their work in Chelsea,” says Lara Behnert, head of the chain’s global art program. (more…)
MoMA has announced the recipient of its 2016 Young Architects Program award, a massive awning constructed from strands of string, and hung over the MoMA PS1 Courtyard. The work, designed by Escobedo SolÃz Studio, is described as “neither an object nor a sculpture standing in the courtyard, but a series of simple, powerful actions that generate new and different atmospheres.” (more…)
Dealer Larry Gagosian and the Qatar royal family have reached a temporary agreement on the ownership of the Picasso bust currently in dispute. The work will be held at Gagosian Gallery until its the conflict is adjudicated. The disagreement around the work revolves around multiple sales of the piece, with both the royal family and Gagosian claiming purchase of the piece from the artist’s daughter, Maya Widmaier-Picasso. (more…)
The WSJ looks at the efforts of The Met to cater to more contemporary and modern art in its collections and exhibitions, noting the challenges the storied institution faces from the city’s great number of curators, museums and galleries, and its vision for the future. “The Met used to talk about itself as 17 museums under one roof, and I have very actively been seeking to break down that notion,” says Director Thomas Campbell. “We are a single museum with a single collection.” (more…)
Max Ernst, The Stolen Mirror (1941), via Christie’s
A marathon night has concluded at Christie’s this evening, following the auction house’s back to back sales of premier works. The sale provided an solid start to 2016’s winter and spring seasons of sales, and sends an indication of the market’s stability moving forward, even if the astronomical prices of the recent past were notably absent. All told, the Impressionist and Modern Sale saw a respectable outing, with 12 of the 50 lots on sale going unsold, and reaching a total of £66,430,000, while the Surrealist auction immediately after achieved £29,487,100, with 10 unsold lots.
Paul CeÌzanne, Ferme en Normandie, eÌteÌ (Hattenville) (1882), via Christie’s
With the opening weeks of 2016 drawing to a close, the London auction houses are preparing for the first entries in the year’s sales calendar, presenting two weeks of offerings that will serve as a bellwether for the year. Considering recent concerns (and numerous articles) over the cooling of the market in the early months of this year, the market should offer an initial indication of just how buyers and sellers may respond, and whether recent notes on an increased reliance on Asian customers will be proven accurate. (more…)