The Cy Twombly Foundation has given a set of five bronze sculptures from its holdings to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, fulfilling a desire expressed by the artist shortly before he died to show these works in the museum’s Iliam galleries.  “I am happy that the Foundation was able to make this gift as I know how happy Cy himself would have been,” says Nicola Del Roscio, president of the Cy Twombly Foundation. (more…)

The New York Times examines the strategies auction houses are taking to maximize value and incomes in a struggling market, including altered fee pricing, and increased reliance on research data.  “Everyone regrets that the presidential election, Brexit and other macro factors have made sellers risk-averse,” says adviser Neal Meltzer. (more…)

The Guardian summarizes the bizarre exchanges between right-wing U.S. conspiracy theorists, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, and Marina Abramovic this week, after a series of leaked emails from the Clinton campaign about an invitation to one of Abramovic’s dinner parties, and documentation of past work by the artist, was hyperbolically interpreted as evidence of satanism and cult rituals inside Clinton’s campaign.  (more…)

The remains of Paul Gauguin’s father, Clovis, have been discovered in a remote site in Chile.  Gauguin’s father was a political refugee who fled France and died during his voyage to Lima, but the burial site of his body had previously been considered a mystery.  His identity was confirmed by a DNA match with Marcel Tai Gauguin, a descendent of the painter.  “The scientific evidence is conclusive in showing that the bones are indeed those of Clovis, matching the DNA sample taken from Marcel,” says art historian Caroline Boyle-Turner.  “Strontium isotope studies also convincingly point to Paul Gauguin as the owner of the teeth found buried in the well in the Marquesas.” (more…)

The New York Times reflects on the 1966 Florence Flood, which occurred fifty years ago this month, as Giorgio Vasari’s five-panel masterpiece, Last Supper, goes back on public view.  The work had been submerged during the flood for over 12 hours, and the restoration of the piece has been ongoing since the floods.  Now, the piece goes back on view at the Cenacolo.  “It was like bringing back alive a painting that had literally died,” says Marco Ciatti, director of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, where parts of the restoration took place. (more…)

Tommy Hilfiger is featured in Bloomberg this week, as the designer reflects on his passion for buying and selling contemporary art.  “I like to buy and sell all the time,” he says. “I’m very interested in knowing who’s who, and what something is worth, and whether or not it would have a resale value.  I never want to buy something and just leave it in storage.” (more…)

Artist Pat Steir is profiled in the Financial Times this week, as the artist prepares to open an expansive series of works from across her career at Dominique Lévy in London.  “It doesn’t look like a survey show though,” she says. “They cover three decades but they speak to one another, whether black-and-white or color.” (more…)

Bortolami Gallery is moving to TriBeCa when its lease is up in April, Art News reports.  “I’m pretty happy to be going away from Chelsea,”Stefania Bortolami says. “This whole block is going to be torn down to become condos—it’s insane. Not only here, but every block. They’re tearing down, tearing down. It’s changing very, very rapidly.” (more…)

An article in the Art Newspaper by museums consultant David Gordon outlines the challenges facing the Tate after Nicholas Serota leaves, suggesting that the museums under its flag may consider separate directors to manage the institutions.  “Tate is an organization with Serota firmly at the helm, run as one entity united under one logo carrying out one vision,” Gordon writes.  “As so often happens when the founding genius goes, the organization needs to be redesigned so that “mere mortals” can continue to run it. Outstanding museum directors need time (as Serota has shown), but to attract the best people who will really stay, each Tate needs directors who are really in charge.” (more…)

Helsinki has proposed its funding plan for the Guggenheim outpost in its city, with additional funding provided by the Guggenheim Helsinki Supporting Foundation.  “Our goal was to find a feasible plan that would not place the full financial burden of the museum construction on the city of Helsinki and would keep the city of Helsinki’s responsibility for financing the same as it was with government involvement,” says deputy mayor Ritva Viljanen. (more…)

Bloomberg notes Christie’s attempts to bolster its fall sales with buyers from China, as the auction house takes $250 million of Western art to the east.  “We are taking the material to the strongest market at the moment,” says Brett Gorvy. (more…)

More tensions have arisen in Boyle Heights, after several galleries were defaced with graffiti this week.  “We are asking the galleries to leave,” says Elizabeth Blaney, an activist with Union de Vecinos. “Yes, that is a demand from community members to leave because they are having a negative impact on this neighborhood.” (more…)

The New York Times studies the current landscape for giving to museums and institutions, and the stipulations collectors often make on the donation of their works.  “This is the Old World model of giving, where collectors want everything they’ve collected to stay together,” says Catherine L. Futter, the museum’s director of curatorial affairs. (more…)

The lawsuit against David Zwirner over delays in the delivery of a Jeff Koons work has been allowed to proceed, after a judge dismissed several counts of fraud related to the case.  “This is a victory for art purchasers and a landmark decision in that it is the first one to rule on an important law that is designed to keep New York’s art market clean and safe for buyers of sculptures and other editioned work,” says John Cahill, plaintiff Fabrizio Moretti’s lawyer.  (more…)

Carol Bove and artist duo Austin (Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler) have been tapped to show at the Swiss Pavilion next year in Venice.  The show, titled “Women of Venice,” will address the legacy of Alberto Giacometti.   (more…)

The Wall Street Journal is reducing space for the arts, culture and New York news in the wake of declining ad sales, the newspaper announced.  “All newspapers face structural challenges and we must move to create a print edition that can stand on a sound financial footing for the foreseeable future while our digital horizons continue to expand,” editor Gerard Baker said in a memo to the company. (more…)

Donald Trump features heavily on the new cover for New York Magazine, a stark image by artist Barbara Kruger labeled only with the word “Loser.”  “The issue analyzes many aspects of Trump’s extraordinary candidacy, and an important point is spelled out in the headline we appended to the bottom corner: Trump has already changed America, not much for the better,” writes Lauren Starke of the image.  “Which adds a fourth meaning: in that sense we are all losers too.” (more…)

Artforum has created a video this week examining the current landscape of politically-centered art, as a group of artists including Marilyn Minter, Hans Haacke, and Nadia Ayari, among others, discuss the practice and necessity of politically-oriented work.  “If I am deeply aware of my humanity, then I must be deeply aware of yours,” Carrie Mae Weems says.  “That’s the social contract that exists between us.” (more…)

The Atlantic writes on the growing impact and financial clout of University art museums, as schools focus resources to growing their collections and holdings, alongside their infrastructural capacities.  “I love the idea of art escaping the museum and muddling the line between what we expect to be inside (art) and what we expect to be outside (life),” says Lisa Fischman, the director of Wellesley’s Davis Museum of Art. (more…)

The Louvre’s new storage facilities in the northern French city of Liévin will host works salvaged from war-torn regions in Syria and Iraq.  “In Abu Dhabi the international community will decide to protect, to promote and even to finance the restoration of a certain number of works,” president François Hollande said in a statement.  “And we are going to suggest that the Liévin conservation site is where such works can be protected.” (more…)

Former Culture Minister Ed Vaizey spoke out this week on the art world’s staunchly left-leaning approach to politics, and the limitations that it puts on the arts’ ability to reach broader audiences or expose alternative viewpoints.  “As a Remainer [myself], there is no pro-Brexit play attacking unaccountable Brussels bureaucrats building a European superstate,” he says.  “There’s no play exposing the corruption and abuse in a country like Venezuela – why not?” (more…)

The Art Newspaper reviews the recent $100 million fundraising success of Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Gallery, one which achieved its goal before the campaign had been officially launched.  “Our objective was to launch the campaign in September of this year,” director Janne Sirén says. “We never came to a point of launch because by the time the silent phase of the summer ended, we had reached our target and beyond.” (more…)

The Art Newspaper looks at each American presidential candidate, and their respective positions on the arts.  Hillary Clinton’s campaign pointed to the Senator’s Americans for the Arts National Arts Award for Arts Advocacy as one point of evidence, while little information could be found on Donald Trump’s public support for the arts.  “I believe that the arts and culture are important in their own right, but they’re also important drivers for economic growth, tourism and attracting young people,” Clinton said during a recent defense of the National Endowment for the Arts.   (more…)

New York firm Architecture Research Office has been tapped for a renovation of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, including a new reflecting pool outside the building, and a skylight in the space.  “For more than forty years, the Chapel has been a deeply moving experience of personal contemplation that furthers the Chapel’s mission of social action,” Stephen Cassell, partner at Architecture Research Office, said. “We feel enormous responsibility toward its future.” (more…)