The Venice Architecture Biennale will be postponed until August. “The new dates have been established as a consequence of the recent precautionary measures in the matter of mobility taken by the governments of a growing number of countries around the world, which will have a domino effect on the movement of people and works in coming weeks,” reads an official statement. (more…)

The global art market dipped by 5% this year, according to the annual report by UBS and Art Basel, but private sales continued to grow. “It was a tricky year, but not disastrous,” says publisher Clare McAndrew. (more…)

The Musée D’Orsay will be expanding its capabilities for exhibition thanks to a $23 million donation. “This goes beyond the question of the display of the collection. We also want to fulfill our mission in a more modern and complete way,” says museum president Laurence des Cars. “Visitors are no longer just expecting a museum to display works of art, but to offer a complete experience.” (more…)

A piece in the SCMP this week notes that as galleries continue to struggle in the face of the coronavirus spread, many are asking if physical gallery locations are even feasible anymore, while others in Hong Kong point out how protests have affected their business. (more…)

Casey Kaplan is profiled in Art News this week, as he prepares an expansion of his gallery space in New York’s Flower District. “I’m doubling down on New York, my home,” he says. “I’m not interested in having a gallery somewhere else. I am a big believer in focusing, and I can focus by not being in London and Paris and Milan and Los Angeles. I can do my job well when I’m paying attention to what I need to pay attention to here.” (more…)

Sotheby’s private sales division sold almost $1 billion in works last year 2019, the auction house announced this week. The news comes amid a focus for the auction house on “fixed price-point sales.” (more…)

Artist Carmen Herrera will erect a large-scale mural in East Harlem. “The whole idea is to bring the power of visual beauty to neighborhoods where there is very little and where parents are just not taking their kids to museums,” said Ruth Lande Shuman, the founder of Publicolor. (more…)

The Guardian has a piece on the Lithuanian pavilion from last year’s Venice Biennale, and take a look at the country’s artistic community, where many artists are struggling just to get by. (more…)

Art Dubai has been postponed, the latest in a series of postponements and closings over coronavirus fears. “It is a sensible decision,” says gallery director Anne-Claudie Coric. “Too many collectors are afraid of flying and being quarantined.”  (more…)

Mary Beard has been rejected from a trusteeship at the British Museum over perceived “pro-Europe” views. “This is an absolute scandal. The trustees of the British Museum exist to protect its intellectual, academic and political independence,” says fellow trustee Sir John Tusa. “Government interference in putting in placemen or placewomen is a corruption of public life. Will any Remainer now expect to be punished by the government?” (more…)

As coronavirus fears amplify, a number of major museums in Japan will close for the following weeks, with The Mori Art Museum closed from February 29 to March 13. (more…)

Painter Mary Lovelace O’Neal gets a profile in the NYT this week. as she opens her first solo show in NYC in over 20 years.  “I’m reluctant to call myself an abstract expressionist or a minimalist,” she says. “I call myself a painter. What I can do is paint and make things that are powerful. Galleries want to codify you. Every time you move away from the doctrine, you get questioned. Being unruly is my nature. As for doctrinaire, I had to blow it up.” (more…)

The LA Times has published a selection of readers’ comments on the LACMA teardown plan, showcasing the institution’s opposition to its new plan.  “LACMA signed an agreement with the Ahmanson Foundation long ago, and I don’t blame the foundation one bit for not going along with LACMA’s new plan,” one reader writes. “To me it seems like LACMA wants to make the museum more like a website or theme park ride.” (more…)

Collector Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo has dropped plans for an arts complex in the Madrid area of Matadero.  “The feasibility studies carried out by the architects David Adjaye and Arturo Franco led to the conclusion that it was not possible to convert Matadero’s Nave 9 into an exhibition space to the [quality] standards we believe are essential for a contemporary art venue,” she says. “The fundamental reasons are to do with the existing structural problems of the building itself, that cannot be solved.” (more…)

Judy Francis Zankel, a trustee and and secretary of the Cooper Hewitt board who resigned following the dismissal of Caroline Baumann, has notified the Smithsonian that she has removed the institution from her will. “I find your treatment of Caroline Baumann to be unconscionable and disgraceful,” she wrote. (more…)

The Louvre has temporarily closed over concerns of coronavirus in Paris, Art News reports.  “The museum is currently implementing (or has implemented) all measures recommended by competent authorities to protect agents and visitors,” a spokesperson says. (more…)

A Mark Rothko from the estate of Donald Marron sold for about $70 million, Bloomberg reports.   The sales mark an initial flurry since it was announced that the Marron family would bypass the auction houses and sell directly through Gagosian, Pace and Acquavella. (more…)

Luhring Augustine will open its new space in Tribeca on May 1st, a 3,500 square foot space on White Street.  The inaugural exhibition will showcase a selection of sculptures and works on paper by the late Lucia Nogueira.  (more…)

Grayson Perry has won the prestigious Erasmus Prize, one of the Netherlands’ highest honors. “I always love a medal. I’ll probably design an outfit to match,” he said.  (more…)

The 2020 Getty Medal, the highest honor given by the J. Paul Getty Trust, will go to philanthropist Alice Walton, artist Martin Puryear, and scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah. “The Getty Medal recognizes excellence and impact in cultural areas that help expand our understanding and appreciation of the world around us,” says David Lee, chair of the Getty Board of Trustees. “This year we are thrilled to honor three influential and transformative leaders.” (more…)

Brazilian collector and mining magnate Bernardo Paz has been cleared of charges in a money laundering case, Art News reports.  “I’m glad the truth came out and for being officially exonerated,” he says. “Now I hope to be able to focus my attention exclusively on my companies and on art, which is what really matters to me.” (more…)

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers are currently being held in quarantine in Japan, after part of a traveling exhibition of works was held due to museum closures in the country. “We are consulting closely with our partners … we hope that the exhibition will be able to open on 17 March 2020, or as soon as possible after that,” a statement from the loaning institution, London’s National Gallery reads. (more…)

A piece in Art News looks at recent research into the provenance of the Elgin Marbles, and asks if Britain committed fraud to claim legal ownership of the pieces. “The more I dug into the issue, the more I began twitching,” says David Rudenstine, a constitutional law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. “The British position just didn’t sound right.” (more…)

Artist Haegue Yang is profiled in the NYT, discussing recent work at MoMA and her busy work schedule. “What comes along with the intensity of the work is you almost lose yourself,” she says. “I think the confusion is good to have.” (more…)