Theaster Gates will curate a new series of performances at the Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C., the institution announced today.  The performances will combine various disciplines and creative backgrounds onstage to present a complex vision of African and African American cultural history.  “We are proud to debut this unique performance series by Theaster Gates, which simultaneously challenges and explores public notions of cultural heritage, personal identity and social justice to create an inclusive and participatory genre of public art,” Director Melissa Chiu said. “As a recent board trustee, Theaster’s voice is integral to shaping the future of the museum, as we look to engage and present more artists whose bodies of work address the key issues of today.” (more…)

The Jewish Museum has launched its first Kickstarter project to fund a show of participatory artworks and projects visitors can use and take home, with a number of artworks and projects available for donors, including a private lunch with Jens Hoffmann and Kelly Taxter, or a Google Hangout with Hans Ulrich Obrist. (more…)

Hyperallergic has published a statement in full from the British activist group Art Not Oil, following the announcement of new BP sponsorship deals with the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery.  “We’ve seen public opinion turning against oil sponsorship, with Londoners now opposing BP’s sponsorship of the British Museum by a wide margin,” the group writes.  “Two-thirds of the museum’s own staff want the BP relationship to end. By signing up to another five years of BP branding, the managers of these institutions are acting against the interests – and, we believe in most cases, the wishes – of their visitors and staff.” (more…)

Jens Hoffman speaks to the Art Newspaper this week, clarifying his changing role with the Jewish Museum.  Hoffman will remain with the museum, but will give up his administrative duties in favor of exhibition planning and writing. “This arrangement allows me to continue working on selected exhibitions and programs at the Jewish Museum over the next couple of years while giving me freedom to pursue projects with other institutions such as Front International,” Hoffmann says. (more…)

The Wall Street Journal writes on the history of The Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT, the first museum in the country founded around a focus on American artists.  The institution was founded between 1903 and 1905, with a goal to acquire “original modern oil paintings either by native or foreign artists.” (more…)

The Australian art magazine Vault has censored a painting by Lisa Yuskavage on the cover of its most recent publication, following pressure from its distributors.  “They were worried that newsagents that they work with would not want to stock the magazine,” says editor Neha Kale.   (more…)

Peter Doig took the stand for the first time on Monday in the strange court case over a work he claims he never painted.  Doig is being sued for $5 million in damages after saying he never painted a work held by former corrections officer Robert Fletcher.  Doig’s testimony mostly focused on his technique and approach as a painter, rather than addressing his ties to the work.   (more…)

German culture minister Monika Grütters has pledged to reform the German commission in charge of looted art repatriation.  “Thirteen years after it was established, it is time to think about the future development of the commission in the interest of improved implementation of the Washington Principles,” Grütters said in a statement. (more…)

A piece in the New York Review of Books charts the life and practice of Hieronymous Bosch, which corresponds with the landmark exhibition of the artist’s paintings at the Noordbrabants Museum.    The article traces the artist’s development of style and identity over the course of his practice, and reflects on the spiritual undertones of his work.   (more…)

The New York Times looks at the current health of the market, charting a number of challenges and issues faced by auction houses.  “It’s all about supply,” says adviser Wendy Goldsmith. “If you don’t offer $100 million guarantees, you’re not going to get the best things.” She added that demand had also become highly selective: “Things either stagnate, or they sell like hot cakes. There isn’t any middle ground any more.” (more…)

In a piece for The Guardian Grayson Perry and Gillian Wearing visit degree shows at some of London’s art schools, and reflect on the young crop of aspiring artists.  “It used to be that each generation had a ‘thing’ that was trendy to do, but I’m struck by how Chelsea students seem to do a bit of everything,” Perry says. “No one seems able to commit to one single form. I guess, because of the internet and their economic situation, it’s about contingency, but it means there’s a non-committal quality to the show. It might be fear, or maybe just be the nature of contemporary culture, where everything’s going on at once, and it does make me wonder about the future.” (more…)

During the quarterly earnings call, Sotheby’s CEO Tad Smith announced that the company would post $89 million in net income for the second quarter of 2016, noting the current turbulence in the art market as ongoing.  “There are a number of geopolitical, macroeconomic, commodity pricing, and financial market uncertainties that leave the art market with a paradox,” Smith said. “On the one hand, collectors are still buying top-quality works of art in well-curated sales. On the other hand, consignors who have the luxury of discretion are showing a bit of reluctance to sell their work at this time.” (more…)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has set a new record for attendance for the fiscal year, tallying a total of 6.7 million visitors over the last 12 months.  “Our audiences are local, national and international, reflecting the depth and breadth of the extraordinary works of art in our galleries,” said director Thomas P. Campbell. (more…)

The LA Times has an in-depth piece on the current struggles and conflicts in Boyle Heights, where local activists are demanding galleries leave the neighborhood amid fears of gentrification.  “In many ways, that Chicano Civil Rights movement looked to Boyle Heights as ‘our community, our home.’ And that’s changing now,” says Eric Avila, a professor of history, Chicano studies and urban planning at UCLA. “If you think about it, the struggle for Mexican American civil rights has always been strongly connected to this idea of turf, territory … Mexican American history is about displacement and dislocation and conquest.” (more…)

USC’s Roski school has made a series of new hires in its art program, following the departure of the school’s last student last year.  “Leveraging our enviable position in a major comprehensive university, the only major research university that boasts six independent art schools as well as schools of social work, public policy and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has been a strategic goal since 2013,” USC Roski dean Erica Muhl said in a press release. “We are steadfast in preparing our students to thrive in a more complex art world.” (more…)

A Manhattan dealer filed a lawsuit against David Zwirner Gallery this week, alleging that the gallery’s mishandled transaction cost the customer over $2 million.  Gallery spokeswoman Julia Joern responded that Bue Art Limited, the plaintiff in the case, is “unfortunately attempting to use the court system as a negotiating tactic.” (more…)

Researchers in Australia have discovered a hidden face beneath the surface of Edgar Degas’s Portrait of a Woman, which bears similarity to a popular model of the time, Emma Dobigny.  “When I first saw the scan I was over the moon, it was very exciting,” says Daryl Howard at the Australian Synchrotron in Victoria. “At the time I considered it to be one of the most exciting times in my scientific career.” (more…)

François Pinault has shortened the timeline for the completion of his private museum in Paris, bumping the completion date up to 2018.  The shortened timeframe was in part driven by recent terrorist attacks in France.  “In the face of this barbarism, the only possible reaction is to move forward,” he said. “As André Malraux said, ‘Art is the shortest path from man to man.’ That is what prompted me to accelerate the completion of my project in Paris.” (more…)

The Independent profiles “art detective” Arthur Brand, who recently tracked down Salvador Dali and Tamara de Lempicka works thought to have been destroyed by thieves.  “What I do with my company is we advise collectors to prevent them from buying forgeries,” Brand says. “That’s about 70 per cent of my work. The rest of the time we work with Jewish families to recover works from their collections stolen by the Nazis. But a small part of our work is recoveries of thefts, and these are the things that hit the headlines, these huge cases.” (more…)

Economist Robert Ekelund looks at the impact the contemporary art market boom has had on museum collecting and exhibitions, as a scarcity of works and high prices have put increased pressure on institutions, particularly as museums struggle to keep up with visitors’ changing tastes.  “The economic point here is that if a museum like the Met isn’t able to keep up as its customers’ tastes change, revenue will likely fall,” he writes.  “And by the time it might recognize this, it’s already too late to do much about it because the costs to acquire the in-demand art is sky-high.” (more…)

The Tate Britain is celebrating the return of a series of major JMW Turners from loan to U.S. institutions with a rehang of its galleries devoted to the artist.  “We were slightly bereft,” says David Blayney Brown, Tate curator of British art from 1790-1850. “Although it is always wonderful to see things in a different gallery because they come to life in such different ways.”

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The New York Times reports that Ronald Lauder has admitted one of the major works in the Neue Galerie collection has been found with spotty provenance, and may be returned to its rightful owner.  “If you asked me a year ago, ‘Do we have everything there?’ I would have said yes, because that is what I was told,” Lauder said. “I was told there were no questions about the pieces we had.”

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Russia’s Garage Museum is expanding to St. Petersburg with plans for programming on New Holland Island. Its first exhibition, “Experiences of the Imaginary” will feature nine emerging Russian Artists through September 25th. The expansion plan is part of a development proposal by Roman Abramovich’s Millhouse Capital.   (more…)

Magnus, the art-spotting app that claimed it would “democratize access to the art world,” has been pulled from app stores, following several lawsuits and legal claims that the app had stolen copyrighted images for its database.  “The resistance by some galleries is understandable and expected,” founder Magnus Resch told Hyperallergic. “Sudden price transparency is disruptive to current business practices. However, this movement towards greater and greater transparency, which began with Artnet in the 1990’s, cannot be stopped. Whether we are challenged in the press, or threatened with lawsuits, we will fight it and win — the app will be up again soon.” (more…)