A piece in the Art Newspaper traces the Lebanese art scene’s mourning after the massive explosion in the city last week. “All I hope now is for the quick recovery of those who have been injured and a safe return to the now-scattered people,” says Naila Kettaneh Kunigk, owner of Gallerie Tanit said in a statement. (more…)

Kerry James Marshall unveils a body of new works in the NYT this week, inspired by the drawings of John James Audubon, and by historical assertions and evidence that the ornithologist and artist was black. “I didn’t know what to make of it, honestly,” he says. “If somebody did the research and put it in a book, then maybe it must be true. And I never forgot that assertion was made.” (more…)

Artist Hank Willis Thomas has an interview in The Guardian this week, as he exhibits a new sculpture in Atlanta’s Fourth Ward Park.  “To me, the work is a celebration and a provocation,” Thomas says. “It’s a symbol of community, strength, justice and belonging that aims to inspire action and demand social change.” (more…)

Sotheby’s announced earnings for the first half of 2020 at $2.5 billion with sales volume for the year down 25%, but impressive gains shown in online sales. “The art and luxury markets have proven to be incredibly resilient, and demand for quality across categories is unabated.” says CEO Charles Stewart. (more…)

Yayoi Kusama’s retrospective at the Gropius Bau in Berlin has been postponed until 2021.  “To Covid-19 that stands in our way/I say Disappear from this earth/We shall fight/We shall fight this terrible monster,” the artist said earlier this year in a statement on the current challenges caused by the virus. (more…)

Protests have begun in Norway, as the government begins tearing down a massive Picasso mural damaged in the 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo. “There is a grieving process that this is happening,”  “At the same time, the spirit that many displayed to campaign to protect the building has been very positive. People have woken up to the value of this art.” (more…)

The site of Van Gogh’s last painting has been discovered as Auvers-sur-Oise, village north of Paris where the artist died.  “Having worked for hours on a painting which shows a preoccupation with the relentless struggle between life and death, Van Gogh, feeling alone and seeing no alternative, decided to find his earthly rest with the setting sun, on the outskirts of the village with a view of a freshly harvested wheatfield,” says researcher Wouter van der Veen.  (more…)

The Tate is under fire after trade unions accused the museum of disproportionately cutting black and minority ethnic staff members as it reopens.  “Many of these colleagues will be amongst the lowest-paid staff on the Tate estate, with some at risk earning little more than the national minimum wage, and in some of the most diverse teams across Tate,” the union representing employees stated. (more…)

Pace has informed a number of previously furloughed employees that they will not be returning to work. “The economic situation caused by the global pandemic means we cannot sustain our previous level of staffing,” says gallery spokeswoman Amelia Redgrift. “This decision was taken after every other measure to ensure we are prepared for an extended period of financial uncertainty and to protect as many jobs as possible in the long-term.” (more…)

Gavin Brown is closing his solo gallery, and partnering with Barbara Gladstone, the NYT reports. “It’s been a very rapid process,” Brown says. “Barbara is someone I’ve held in esteem for three decades. I remember, vividly, seeing the Matthew Barney show on Greene Street.” (more…)

A trove of paintings, including work by Willem de Kooning and Alexander Calder, have been discovered in the basement of Stony Brook Hospital, The New York Post reports.  “It was a great find,” says art consultant Vincent Mazo “It was like opening up King Tut’s tomb.” (more…)

The Frick Collection will reopen at 945 Madison, the Marcel Breuer-designed building formerly serving as the home of the Whitney and Met Breuer. The space, titled Frick Madison, will be used while the Frick undergoes an ambitious renovation. (more…)

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A piece in the NYT notes the current re-evaluation of the historical resonance and market of Ruth Asawa, the Japanese-American artist whose pioneering wire sculptures and influential practice at Black Mountain College are receiving a renewed interest.   (more…)

Bloomberg charts the ongoing challenges faced by The Shed, as the COVID-19 crisis continues to prevent exhibitions and performances at the fledgling space. “Every department had cuts” says artistic director Alex Poots. “We’re not transforming the Shed into something different; it still needs marketing and programming and production departments. But it needs less of all of those because we’re doing less.” (more…)

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Loic Gouzer, former Christie’s exec and founder of art auction app Fair Warning, is pushing his new platform with a high profile sale of an untitled Basquiat drawing estimated at $8 million. “The idea was to create a guerrilla type of auction system,” Gouzer says of the project, “where you could start moving paintings by using the cloud rather than physical locations.” (more…)

A string of resignations is rocking the SFMOMA, as Gary Garrels, the museum’s senior curator of painting and sculpture marks the latest departure. The departure comes after Garrels reportedly used the term “reverse discrimination” in a meeting, referring to museum policies towards the collection of more works by white male artists. (more…)

As art sales go online, the NYT notes an increasing generation gap, with older buyers tapering off their purchases and younger buyers continuing to collect. “The resistance from older collectors is still there,” says Anders Petterson, founder of analytics firm ArtTactic.  “When there is no physical art world, how do you substitute that experience?” he added. “Younger people are a lot quicker to adapt.” (more…)

A piece in the New York Times charts pressure on institutions to address problems of systemic racism and injustice in their organizations, collections and programs, following the social unrest caused by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police.  “I do not think art museums have done enough,” says Chris Anagnos, executive director of the Association of Art Museum Directors. “We have dabbled around the edges of the work, but in our place of privilege we will never live up to the statement that ‘museums are for everyone’ unless we begin to confront, examine and dismantle the various structures that brought us to this point.” (more…)

Art Basel has completely cancelled the 2020 edition of its fair in the Swiss town, after an attempt to move the fair’s dates to September.  “While there are signs of hope as individual countries are coming out of lockdown, the global situation remains precarious, and, unfortunately, too many uncertainties remain to go ahead with the fair,” the organization said in a statement. “These include the health risks posed by large gatherings, the limitations on intercontinental travel, and the unclear Swiss regulatory environment for shows of Art Basel’s size. Given these uncertainties, we believe that the best option concerning the Basel show is to focus on next year’s edition and delivering a fair of the exceptional international quality that the artworld expects.” (more…)

A number of galleries are headed to the Hamptons this summer, with Pace, Skarstedt and Sotheby’s all opening branches in the upscale Long Island area.  The move comes as galleries look for selling strategies amidst an art world shuttered by coronavirus. (more…)

A group of museum directors speak to Art Newspaper this week about their plans to reopen, and how they plan to respond to COVID-19 concerns.  The directors detail a range of strategies, from timed entry to controlling flow in and out of galleries. (more…)

Ai Weiwei has created a set of surgical masks to aid coronavirus charities. “It is such a waste. There is so much argument around the mask,” he says of the face mask as a cultural artifact of the era. “A face mask weighs only three grams but it carries so much state argument about global safety and who has it and who doesn’t have it.” (more…)