A Hermann Nitsch performance using a slaughtered bull is set to move forward in Tasmania, despite protests from animal rights activists.  “Art sometimes has the power to influence a community, and although it would be an indirect outcome of this performance, we would consider a reduction in the consumption of meat a positive result,” a statement from the Museum of Old and New Art, where the performance is set to take place, reads.  “If we cancel this event, not one bull will be saved…Yes, we could select a random animal to live peacefully in a paddock for the rest of its life. This would amount to no more than a futile attempt to reduce our guilt, and in the process further suppress the truth and reality that we are seeking to understand.” (more…)

Bloomberg takes a look at recent collecting trends in the global market, including advisers increased focus on art as part of a broader asset strategy.  There are opportunities to plan around art that don’t exist around other asset classes,” says Dan Desmond, executive director with the Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley. (more…)

Brooklyn gallery American Medium is profiled in the New York Times this month, as its founders prepare for a move to Chelsea, and reflect back on the gallery’s early years translating digital artworks to a physical exhibition space.  “At this point we’ve staged at least over a hundred shows,” says partner Josh Pavlacky said, “so we know: This will look good here, this is what you do, this is a faux pas. And that information is really helpful for someone who only makes collages on the computer.” (more…)

As Berlin prepares for the construction of the Museum of Modern Art in its Kulturforum, a petition is calling for a more open and public discussion of the merits and risks of the project.  The petition also calls for transparency in the project’s budget, stating that the current money pledged to the project is likely not enough to cover its completion.   (more…)

Mark Bradford is profiled in the New York Times this week, as the artist prepares to open his solo exhibition in the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.  “I felt like a lot of the progress we’ve made to be inclusive, to make sure young little trans kids are safe, was gone in the blink of an eye,” he said of the work and the concurrent election of Donald Trump. “Making this body of work became very, very emotional for me. I felt I was making it in a house that was burning.” (more…)

The Met is currently weighing the possibility of charging a mandatory admission fee to those living outside of New York City, a measure that may help the museum’s budget struggles.  “I don’t think we have an assumption about city funding,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the issue. “It’s about them being able to sustain their operations long term and would actually mean they wouldn’t need additional city funding, in theory. But no, the real issue is just to allow them to defray some of their costs in a way that’s fair to city residents.” (more…)

Marisol, the late Venezuelan-American artist known for her unique blend of pop art techniques with sculptural approaches, has left her entire estate to the Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo.  “There are entire aspects to this extraordinary woman’s career that I think will become apparent as the full spectrum of this bequest is displayed,” Janne Sirén, the director of the Albright-Knox says. (more…)

LA Magazine profiles the soon to open Marciano Art Foundation on Wilshire, and the long-running efforts to open the converted Masonic Temple. “I wanted to have a place not just to exhibit art but rather for the artists to come and get inspired and do whatever they want. We’ll just let things happen,” says Maurice Marciano. (more…)

The Art Newspaper profiles the contrasting policies towards the arts of French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, who are set for a run-off on May 7th.  Macron is pushing to maintain the arts budget, and will embrace EU-centered policies, while Le Pen’s staunch isolationism sees her pushing for increased funds for conservation and a halt to the sale of buildings to foreigners.  (more…)

Frances Stark is profiled in The Guardian this week, in which she discusses the state of the contemporary art world, and her recent work orchestrating a version of the Magic Flute for a group of student performers.  “One of the reasons I got really enamored with the Magic Flute,” Stark says, “is that I watched the Ingmar Bergman version with my son, when he was four or five. He was too young to read the subtitles, so I read them to him. When the movie was over – and this is a long opera – he said, ‘Can we watch it again?’”  (more…)

The New York Review of books has a lengthy profile on Robert Rauschenberg this week, as the artist’s landmark retrospective prepares to open at MoMA next month.  “I tend to see everything.” Rauschenberg once said, “I always wanted my work—whatever happened in the studio—to look more like what was going on outside the window.” (more…)

The New York Times has a profile on Banks Violette, an artist who helped define the aesthetics of New York’s downtown art scene during the 2000’s, and who is currently preparing for a return to the art world with a show upcoming at Gladstone Gallery.  The piece traces the artist’s struggles with addiction, and the challenges of being immensely successful at such a young age.  “A lot of it was just being young, being in New York, suddenly having a bunch of attention, suddenly having packed openings, not being able to sleep and working 24 hours a day,” he says. “It wasn’t really even fun. It was more, ‘Hey, we’re super freaked out, let’s get high.’ ” (more…)

Theaster Gates has revealed plans for a theater and park on the University of Chicago’s arts block in Washington Park, turning a series of lots into public space that would increase the usability and safety of the space while providing places for performances and gatherings.  “Right now it’s a place people walk through to get from 51st Place to the bus,” he says. (more…)

Time Magazine has included Kerry James Marshall among its list of 100 most influential people for 2017, noting the artist’s major retrospective and ongoing contribution to the language of American art.  “For too long, the contributions of black people in American society have been ignored, marginalized and denied. Kerry James Marshall confirms and confronts those depictions and omissions with artistic flair, portraying everyday events in black lives,” former NBA star and collector Grant Hill says of the artist. “He forces people to assess the American experi­ence through the black experience. In so doing, he has established himself not only among the giants of the black art milieu, but as one of the most influential American artists anywhere.” (more…)

Maurizio Cattelan is profiled in the New York Times this week, as a documentary on the artist hits theaters.  “Underneath it all, Maurizio’s a good person,” says director Maura Axelrod of the artist’s mischievous personality. “He’s not careening through life trying to upset people. His overall approach is playful. Although maybe not the Stephanie Seymour piece. That might be the exception.” (more…)

Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has passed away at the age of 86.  The artist’s long career frequently challenged the authoritarian regime of Cold War Poland, and the impact of war on the psyche of its people.  “We are finally still questioning our own existence, the problem of our existence,” she once said, “because this is the greatest question and the greatest mystery—existence and sense or non-sense, the extraordinary power of man and his extraordinary weakness.” (more…)

The New York Times reports on a recent court decision over the valuation and sale of a Pieter Bruegel the Younger the painting, where evidence showed a trend towards auction houses underpricing works so as to win favor from sellers when the works sold at strong prices.  The ruling echoes assertions by the I.R.S. that prices given for artworks are a likely “high abuse area.” (more…)

An artwork at the Met Museum was defaced with the words “Nazi Art” yesterday.  33-year old Ryan Watson scrawled the words on the surface of a piece at the institution’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards exhibit, and was detained quickly.  “The Met is reaching out to the student and will make every effort to restore the work of art,” says spokeswoman Annie Bailis. “The Met is grateful for the quick and effective action taken by security officers and the NYPD on this unfortunate incident.” (more…)

A Manhattan judge has ruled that Alex Baldwin’s case against gallerist Mary Boone can go forward, after Baldwin’s lawyer argued that Baldwin’s lack of knowledge in the art world left him open to exploitation.  Baldwin is suing Boone over the purchase of a Ross Bleckner painting that turned out to be a copy of the work he originally wanted.  “He’s a noncollector, she’s one of the most prominent art dealers in the world,” Baldwin’s attorney, Steven Feldman said. (more…)

Three great-grandchildren of Peggy Guggenheim have spoken out against the Guggenheim for its current exhibition, Visionaries, claiming it violates their grandmother’s wishes to keep works from her collection in Venice from Easter to November.  “She wanted the work to be in Venice at that time every year because it is the high tourist season in the city, and every two years this period coincides with the biennale,” says Sindbad Rumney-Guggenheim. (more…)

The National Endowment for the arts has released a new series of figures tracing state by state funding and jobs in the arts, including a growth in the field’s contributions to the broader U.S. economy of 35.1 percent over the last decade.   “Information from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account has been invaluable for understanding the role of arts and culture in our economy, demonstrating that the arts are indeed part of our everyday lives,” says NEA Chairman Jane Chu.  (more…)

Highlights for the upcoming auction sales continue to roll out this week, as Christie’s announces its offering of Brancusi’s iconic La Muse Endormie for its Impressionist and Modern sale on May 15th in New York, one of the last editions of the work to remain in public hands.  The work is anticipated to achieve upwards of $20 – $30 million. (more…)

An article in the New York Times this week spotlights the close friendship of Alexander Calder and Joan Miró, and the artists’ fertile cross-germination of ideas that resulted in their shared Constellations series, united for the first time in an exhibition at Pace and Acquavella this spring.   (more…)

The Musée D’Orsay is facing accusations of discrimination, after a clause on its education policies noting mandatory smaller tour groups for students coming from low-income areas was widely shared on social media.  “I demand that [the museum] ensures that it welcomes all students from all educational establishments under the same conditions,” Audrey Azoulay, national culture and communication minister, said in a statement online.  (more…)