Art News notes that NYC’s smaller museums and galleries may be eligible for relief under any coronavirus relief packages. “We are facing an existential crisis,” says Jane Stephenson, executive director of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA). “People should be aware that arts organizations are going to face difficulties if we don’t get some relief.” (more…)

A recently rediscovered Ana Mendieta work is set to sell at Sotheby’s, but her family claims its owner has no right to sell it, claiming the work was never returned following a loan. “If an auction house accepts works without doing due diligence and says, ‘You guys fight it out,’ then you put a burden on the original owner that perhaps is not justified,” says Barbara Hoffman, the family’s lawyer. (more…)

The soon to open Tate Modern Andy Warhol show will feature a selection of the artist’s rarely seen, custom fright wigs. “They are incredible objects, which he would have had a say in, in terms of their design … the way they are dark at the back and blonde at the front,” says co-curator Gregor Muir. “The wigs are part of Warhol’s persona, and Warhol himself was an artwork.” (more…)

The UK government is under fire for attempting to withdraw from the European-Union-funded Creative Europe project, depriving the nation of millions in EU funds for the arts.  “By ending our participation, the UK government is erecting barriers to continued cultural exchange. Moreover, this decision makes no financial sense.” an open letter reads. “It is well established that Creative Europe grants have delivered a net benefit back to the UK creative economy on both soft and hard measures (worth €74m since 2014, benefitting 334 organizations), leveraging additional funding, helping to create employment.” (more…)

French Culture Minister Franck Riester has tested positive for coronavirus, shortly after visiting parliament where several ministers had fell ill.  (more…)

A major Raphael exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale has been closed as a result of coronavirus quarantines.  Museums around the country are also closed as a result of the disease.  (more…)

The Public Art Fund will launch a new project at LaGuardia airport featuring art by Jeppe Hein, Laura Owens, and Sarah Sze. “New Yorkers will soon have a major terminal at LaGuardia Airport that reflects the energy, vitality, and innovation of New York City,” said Nicholas Baume, director and chief curator of the Public Art Fund. “Great art and artists are fundamental to New York’s DNA, and we are excited to collaborate with several of the world’s most visionary artists, LaGuardia Gateway Partners and the Port Authority to create a unique new terminal that brilliantly expresses the creative spirit of New York.” (more…)

Shell has dropped its support of London’s Southbank Centre, Art Newspaper reports, as pressure over the fossil fuel company’s support of institutions continues to mount.  “Until it commits to leaving fossil fuels in the ground this decade, Shell will be standing in the way of zero carbon transition we urgently need and should not be welcomed into our arts institutions,” says Chris Garrard, the director of the protest group Culture Unstained. (more…)

Trevor Paglen has joined Pace Gallery, working with the artist’s other galleries to create a global network for his work.  “We are thrilled to announce our representation of Trevor,” says Simon Preston, Senior Director at Pace. “Trevor’s complex research-driven work will expand the vocabulary of the artists represented by the gallery and have the potential to create many exciting dialogues with existing and future artists of the program.” (more…)

A piece in Art News looks at the Tate’s recent declaration of a climate emergency, and how it allows the museum to respond. “Large public buildings, attracting millions of visitors from the U.K. and overseas, require energy,” reads a statement. “We see caring for and sharing a national art collection as a public good, but it also consumes resources. . . . That’s why we pledge to make our long-term commitment ambitious in scope. We will interrogate our systems, our values, and our programs, and look for ways to become more adaptive and responsible.” (more…)

Hikaru Fujii and Chikako Yamashiro have won the second Tokyo Contemporary Art Award, a $30,000 prize that also includes an exhibition of the artists’ work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2022. (more…)

Sotheby’s auction of work from the estates of Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz has resulted in a $17.2 million result, easily topping its $13.3 million estimate. The sale featured a range of paintings and photos as well as personal items and clothing. (more…)

The Art News has a piece this week featuring Julian Schnabel and Laurie Anderson in conversation about their early days in New York, their work, and Lou Reed. “He had insight into all sorts of things, and he had a lot of heart,” Schnabel says. “Berlin, the record he made in 1973, was one of my favorite records ever—it was like the soundtrack to my life for a long while. The sadness in it just filled me up and made me feel like, If I’m going crazy, it’s OK—he survived.”  (more…)

The New Yorker has a piece this week on Georgia O’Keefe’s expansive file of recipes.  “Food served in the O’Keeffe household was always nutritious, tasty, and simply but beautifully presented,” says writer Margaret Wood, who worked as O’Keefe’s assistant and regularly prepared her meals. (more…)

A piece in Dezeen charts additional issue at Cooper Hewitt beyond its recent leadership shakeup. “Design is central to how we are going to make our world better,” says architect Aaron Betsky. “The various disciplines that make it up are changing rapidly, but they are doing so based on accumulated knowledge, skill, and beauty that we need to see and understand more fully. We need the Cooper Hewitt to become that institution.” (more…)

A piece in the NYT showcases growing interest in Iranian contemporary art, as tensions escalate with the country itself. “Iranian art collecting was an exclusively Iranian affair among Iranians,” until recently, says collector Mohammed Afkhami.  “We are still in the early stages of that diversification away from purely Iranian patronage,” he added. (more…)

Art Newspaper has a piece charting Sotheby’s recent emphasis on its private sales department.  “We have probably spent 250 of our 275 years pretending it didn’t exist,” says David Schrader, Sotheby’s head of private sales. “But it’s a really important service which we don’t think is cannibalistic to the legacy business, it’s quite complimentary.” (more…)

Francis Bacon’s 1981 Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus will head to Sotheby’s this May, estimated at $60 million.  The work comes form the collection of Hans Rasmus Astrup, a Norwegian business tycoon who is selling the piece to benefit the consignor’s family foundation. (more…)

The NYT reports live from TEFAF, noting a significant drop in attendance at the fair caused by coronavirus concerns. “Normally I’m on a plane with 10 collectors from Milan,” says gallerist Maurizio Rigillo. “This year I was on my own.” (more…)

Lisson Gallery will grow its footprint in New York this spring, taking over the space adjacent to its home at 504 West 24th Street.  “This new space offers more diversity in our programming as it is smaller and more intimate than the open warehouse structure of 504,” says NY gallery head Alex Logsdail. (more…)

In an unexpected shakeup, the Armory Show has moved its date and season for next year, running September 9th – 12th at the Javits Center downtown.  “September is a great time of year to be in New York City, and we are eager to align with gallery openings to kick off the fall season,” says Nicole Berry, the fair’s executive director.  “We hope everyone will mark their calendars.” (more…)

New York museums are accelerating preparations for coronavirus as institutions shutter around the globe. “The health of our staff and visitors is of paramount importance to the Guggenheim,” a spokeswoman for the museum says. “All non-essential museum travel has been suspended or postponed. We are also discussing plans to enable working at home here appropriate in the event of a closure.” (more…)

An unpublished Albrecht Dürer drawing has been reportedly discovered, and will go on sale in London. The work comes from an unidentified American collection, which some speculate is that of the family of the architect Jean-Paul Carlhian. (more…)

Catherine Opie is interviewed in the LA Times this week, as she gives a preview of a new body of work focusing on the swamps of Florida. “There is a lot of life in those swamps,” she says. “At first, I thought I’d go in at night with a flash, then I realized how many alligators there were.” (more…)