Artist Christo has unveiled his newest project, and the first piece conceived after the death of his longtime partner, Jeanne-Claude, a series of floating walkways at Lake Iseo in Northern Italy, which will allow viewers to walk out over the water on tightly woven nylon panels.  “They will feel the movement of the water under foot,” Christo said. “It will be very sexy, a bit like walking on a water bed.” (more…)

Billionaire Steve Wynn has taken out a loan against his massive art collection, which helped the casino mogul to secure an interest rate of less than 1%.  “This is a great time to be poised with ample cash,” Wynn said. (more…)

Arts Council England is warning against a “severe and imminent” threat of attack on UK museums, the Art Newspaper reports.  Additional information has been provided by the Scottish Council on Archives: “The National Crime Agency are aware of an imminent threat of theft of collections across the UK. They are aware of a group who has made reconnaissance visits to a number of museums and other venues across the UK. It is thought that smaller, more portable items will be targeted rather than items such as large paintings.” (more…)

Former fashion marketing executive Giorgio Pace has been appointed as commercial adviser for Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, and publisher at large for Garage magazine, which will see him planning new ventures and projects to finance both institutions.  “I am looking forward to creating some fantastic new partnerships and raising funds to enhance the unique programs each venture has already established,” Pace says. (more…)

Jamie Kenyon, formerly of Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, is joining 47 Canal as that gallery director.  “My move to 47 Canal feels very natural, having grown friends with both Margaret and Oliver, and many of the artists since moving to New York three years ago,” Kenyon says. (more…)

The New York Times profiles ColorSearch, a new application developed by former Gavin Brown’s staffer and founder of ArtBinder Alexandra Chemla, which is developed to archive and catalog works based on color.  “It prioritizes based on proximity to the actual shade of that color you’ve chosen and the percentage of the piece that’s made up of that color,” Chemla says. “You can highlight as many colors as you want, and then ColorSearch prioritizes those that have, say, four of the four, three of the four and so on.” (more…)

The Picasso Museum in Paris has opened the doors on a major rehang, with announced plans to begin working with contemporary artists alongside its historical mission, and a new space that seeks to recreate the artist’s working methods.  “We want to have the audience enter his studio and glimpse his intimacy, his daily life,” President Laurent Le Bon says. (more…)

Artist and architect Maya Lin is profiled in the Wall Street Journal this week, as she prepares to complete a series of projects, and reflects on her work over the past several decades.  “There’s a very strong environmental aspect to all my structures,” she says, and notes her work in both architecture and fine art, comparing architecture to writing a novel, while comparing a piece of art to a poem.  “They’re both incredibly difficult and challenging, but sometimes that poem is harder…because I’m stripping it bare.” (more…)

Adam Lindemann is reportedly in contract to buy a Montauk estate formerly owned by Andy Warhol.  “I knew Andy in the early 1980s as a very young man, and I’m a collector of his work . . . I’m very lucky to have this opportunity to live out this dream. It’s a work of art.” (more…)

The New Yorker profiles Fox Television’s Empire, and the collection of contemporary African-American art that the show has consistently used on-screen, including works by Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, and Kerry James Marshall.  “I’ve been doing this twenty-six years, and I was really excited because rarely do I get a director who includes the art within the shot,” says set decorator Caroline Perzan. “The art has become one of the main focal points of the set design.” (more…)

The Guardian profiles artist Sam Gilliam, whose work during the 1960’s and 70’s was considered among the best working in abstraction, and who, at 81, is experiencing another moment in the limelight after L.A. gallerist David Kordansky rallied to bring the artist’s work to wider attention.  “Sam stayed constant – it was the world that turned,” says Laura Hoptman, MoMA’s curator for painting and sculpture. “Finally, he popped back into focus.” (more…)

Christie’s has announced another of its highlight lots for its November auctions in New York, this time pointing to Roy Lichtenstein’s Nurse, from 1964.  “He’s completely concentrated the image, taken away the words,” says Brett Gorvy. “There’s fear in her face — you’re not quite sure what the narrative is. You bring your own narrative.” (more…)

Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch are teaming together for an exhibition during Art Basel Miami Beach this year, bearing the title Unrealism and taking place in the historic Moore Building in the Miami Design District.  “Larry and I have wanted to do a project together for some time,” Mr. Deitch said. “Everything came together.” (more…)

Ai Weiwei has announced that his memoirs will be released in 2017, published by Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House.  “The history of totalitarianism is one characterized by the state’s continuous attempts to destroy individual memories,” the artist says. (more…)

Zero Group founder Enrico Castellani will launch a rare exhibition of his works at Dominique Lévy in London, the first solo showing of the artist’s work in the city.  “He thinks things over very deliberately. There has to be a reason,” says Emilio Steinberger, one of the gallery’s senior partners. (more…)

The Art Newspaper notes that despite increasing attention to the globalizing art world, the cities of London and New York still remain central hubs in the burgeoning market.  “Around ten years ago, galleries looked for ways to be around the world. But people soon realised that the costs weren’t just financial,” says New York dealer Sundaram Tagore.  “You don’t have to have multiple locations. Globalization has made it easier to bring collectors to New York and London, the art world’s original stomping grounds, and most of the important collectors already own homes there.” (more…)

Hyperallergic has a report on the ongoing allegations behind an Istanbul exhibition of Joan Miró works denounced as fraud by the artist’s foundation, and the lawsuits currently filed against dealer Emre Sefer, who organized the show.  Sefer denies the charges, claiming her purchased the works from Canadian dealers Art Brokers West.  “The lawsuit over the certificates of authenticity and the action for compensation continue. Those trials will resume in October and November,” Sefer says.  “Art Brokers West claims that all the artworks are original. They also said that we could return all of them if we wanted. We do not intend to initiate a legal process against Art Brokers West until the lawsuits in Turkey conclude.”  (more…)

The Hirshhorn has received a $2 million gift from trustee Joleen Julis and her husband, Mitch, setting the record for the museum’s largest single gift.  “As we conclude this transformative 40^th anniversary year, the Hirshhorn seeks to become a creative hub at the intersection of art and technology and to lead the global conversations on the art of our time. It is the support of people like Joleen and Mitch that enables us to move forward with these goals,” said Director Melissa Chiu in a statement. (more…)

The New York Times notes that sixteen different cultural institutions in New York City are currently embarking on major fundraising campaigns, with a combined financial goal of $3 billion.  “Each of these institutions have loyal supporters who are engaged,” said Daniel Brodsky, a real estate developer and the chairman of the Metropolitan Museum. “There are many prosperous people in New York City.” (more…)

A U.S. federal judge in Washington, DC has fined Russia $43.7m for failing to hand over a collection of books and religious documents to a Brooklyn-based Jewish Orthodox organization.  The action is partially a result of Russia’s recently imposed export ban of artworks and antiques to the U.S., fearing that works may be seized, and has seen similar actions taken in the U.S. (more…)

Eric Fischl is in the New York Times this week, advocating for a new method of art authentication using the artist’s DNA to show if the work is really their handiwork.  “Authenticating a work from the very start can alleviate the pain and frustration people go through when they think they have something of great value and they really don’t,” he says.  “What’s not sexy about synthetic DNA?”  (more…)

Bloomberg notes the strong interest on site at Frieze this week, and the collectors getting aggressive on buying even while other markets flounder.  “Russians are in trouble. Brazil is in trouble. Commodities are way down,” says Eli Broad. “The art market is very strong. You’d think there are no troubles anywhere in the world.” (more…)

The U.S. General Services Administration art collection has been archived and uploaded online, allowing interested viewers to browse works and artists from the the archive, as well as view where works may be on view.  Other pieces from the collection on loan to museums and galleries are also included.  (more…)

Tania Bruguera is profiled in both The Guardian and The Art Newspaper today, as she begins her post as a teacher at Yale University, and reflects on her turbulent past year.  “In Cuba we’ve been in two dictatorships after the other,” she tells the Guardian. “A lot of people don’t see it that way yet, and for me it’s hard, still, to say those words. People have been under fear. We need a process where people understand not only what their rights are, but what to ask for.” (more…)