Archive for the 'Minipost' Category

Italy Orders Mass Shutdown of Museums as Coronavirus Spreads in North of Country

Monday, February 24th, 2020

Northern Italy is facing a mass shutdown of museums as a coronavirus outbreak spreads across the region.  “The government and region will decide tomorrow [the course of action] for the next few days; museums are likely to be closed until 1 March,” says a spokesperson for the museums of Venice.  (more…)

LA Times Investigates Specter of Debt in LACMA Expansion Plans

Friday, February 21st, 2020

A piece in the LA Times this week looks at LACMA, and the potential debt the museum is facing to pay for its new expansion plans. “My concern,”consultant Rob Hollman says, “is that they will have this unfinished building, or they will finish it, and there will be this big bill to pay.” (more…)

Ingrid Schaffner Named Curator of Chinati Foundation

Friday, February 21st, 2020

Ingrid Schaffner is the new curator of the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Art News reports. “Donald Judd’s concept for the Chinati Foundation was curatorial: to permanently site works of art within a dynamic of exhibitions, scholarship, artists residencies, and events,” she said in a statement. “It is an honor to build on the curatorial legacy established by Judd.” (more…)

NYT Looks Deeper into Departure of Cooper Hewitt Director

Friday, February 21st, 2020

The NYT has further info on the departure of Caroline Baumann from the Cooper Hewitt, as further investigations make her departure increasingly complicated. “I learned nothing I didn’t know, except some more details of the investigators’ cluelessness and shoddiness,” says former trustee and author Kurt Andersen, who resigned from the museum board in protest. “I still find it incomprehensible that the secretary decided these supposed infractions merited termination, and also that he didn’t seek advice from the board about this.” (more…)

Alexander Calder Exhibition Space Planned in Philadelphia

Friday, February 21st, 2020

After decades of discussion and planning, an institution dedicated to the work of Alexander Calder will open in Philadelphia, with construction beginning next year.  “We don’t know what we’re going to call it, but it’s not a museum,” said Alexander S.C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and the artist’s grandson. “The experience is where the art happens. This will not be a picture on a wall. This will be a place of introspection.”

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Spring/BREAK Announces New Location, Exhibitors for New York Event

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

Spring/BREAK NY has announced its exhibitor list and a new location for its soon to open fair in New York, setting up shop at 625 Madison Avenue in Manhattan. (more…)

Art Basel Hong Kong Tries Online Viewing Rooms to Make Up for Cancelled Fair

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

With Art Basel Hong Kong formally cancelled, the fair is turning to online viewing rooms to make up for lost sales and missed opportunities.  “As the art market continues to evolve, Art Basel has continually investigated how new technologies can give us new opportunities to support our galleries,” says global director Marc Spiegler. “The online viewing rooms will provide galleries with a further possibility for engaging with our global audiences, complementing the essential personal interactions that continue to underly the art market.” (more…)

Drawing Center Offering Admission After Gift From Cy Twombly Foundation

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

The Drawing Center will offer free admission for the next three years, thanks to a gift from the Cy Twombly Foundation. (more…)

Forensic Architecture Head Barred from Entering US

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

Eyal Weizman, director of Turner prize-nominated group Forensic Architecture, has reportedly been barred from entering the US after being flagged as a security risk.  “In my interview the officer informed me that my authorisation to travel had been revoked because the ‘algorithm’ had identified a security threat,” he said in a statement. “This much we know: we are being electronically monitored for a set of connections – the network of associations, people, places, calls and transactions – that make up our lives. Working in human rights means being in contact with vulnerable communities, activists and experts, and being entrusted with sensitive information. These networks are the lifeline of any investigative work. I am alarmed that relations among our colleagues, stakeholders and staff are being targeted by the US government as security threats.” (more…)

Pace, Gagosian and Acquavella Beat Out Auction Houses to Sell Marron Collection

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

Pace, Gagosian and Acquavella Galleries have won a bid to sell the prized collection of financier Donald B. Marron, beating out the auction houses. The galleries will organize private selling exhibitions in late April. (more…)

NYT Writes on Dealers Using Instagram to Sell Works

Thursday, February 20th, 2020

The NYT has a piece this week on the increasing focus and emphasis auction houses and dealers are placing on Instagram to sell work. “I often get contacted by collectors about specific objects I’ve shown on Instagram, and then that turns into a different conversation,” says Matt Carey-Williams, the London-based deputy chairman for Europe and Asia at Phillips. (more…)

Pirelli HangarBicocca Names Alessandro Bianchi as General Manager

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca has tapped Alessandro Bianchi as its general manager. He previously worked at Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in Milan, the Teatro Regio in Turin, and the Fondazione Nazionale per la Danza in Reggio Emilia. (more…)

Art Newspaper Profiles Competitive Push by African Art Collectors to Keep Works on Continent

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

A piece in the Art Newspaper this week charts a group of African collectors working to keep art on the continent by buying it themselves. “The African creative industry is experiencing a solid renaissance … as a result of the growth in the local auction market, which heightened buyer confidence,” says Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, a Lagos-based art dealer. (more…)

Greece Pushes for Return of Elgin Marbles in EU-UK Trade Deal

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

As the UK negotiates its new trade deal with the EU, the Art News notes that a clause inserted in the deal by Greece appears to require the return of the Elgin Marbles. “It is the mentality that has changed, the fact that Britain is distancing itself from the European family, it is 200 years since the Greek revolution,” id Lina Mendoni, the country’s culture minister last month. “I think the right conditions have been created for their permanent return.” (more…)

David Adjaye and artist Cai Guo-Qiang Win 2020 Isamu Noguchi Award

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Architect David Adjaye and artist Cai Guo-Qiang have been named the winners of the 2020 Isamu Noguchi Award.  The award is given to those who “share Noguchi’s spirit of innovation, global consciousness, and commitment to East/West cultural exchange,” according to a statement. (more…)

Arts Council England Threatens Funding Cuts Over Diversity Requirements

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Arts Council England is threatening to cut funding for organizations failing to meet goals for diversity, The Guardian reports. “The pace of change has been too slow,” says Abid Hussain, ACE’s director of diversity. “Certain communities are significantly under-represented and we need to change that. We need to be very clear: if organizations are not delivering, they could lose their funding.” (more…)

Allentown Art Museum Painting Authenticated as Rembrandt

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

A 17th century painting in the holdings of the Allentown Art Museum has been confirmed as the work of Rembrandt. “We’re very thrilled and excited,” says Elaine Mehalakes, vice president of curatorial affairs at the institution. “The painting has this incredible glow to it now that it just didn’t have before. You can really connect with the portrait in the way I think the artist meant you to.” (more…)

High Line Revels 2020 Public Art Commissions

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

The High Line’s 2020 season has been announced, featuring work by Guillermo Galindo, David Horvitz and more, united under the title The Musical Brain. “Usually when you think of a sound or music show, you don’t necessarily visualize objects or sculptures,” curator Cecelia Alemani says. “But we made an effort to have a physical presence because we realized that, if you were to do like a just a sound show on the High Line, the audience would miss half of it because it’s already so loud. So we invited artists to really think of sculptural embodiments of sound and music.” (more…)

Art Newspaper Looks at Collective Running Kunsthalle Vienna

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

The Kunsthalle Vienna is currently experimenting with a collective structure, with shared directorial and curatorial authority split between Natasa Ilic, Ivet Curlin and Sabina Sabolovic. “When you have been working as a collective for 20 years, discussion and exchange is really the basis of your work method,” the trio say. “We are tying to demystify curatorial and managerial work and think about it in more democratic terms. Ours is a progressive model.” (more…)

Maurizio Cattelan Reprises 2003 Work with Kendall Jenner for Garage Magazine

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Garage Magazine’s new cover features an unlikely collaboration between Maurizio Cattelan and Kendall Jenner, with the Italian artist reprising his work Stephanie (2003) with Jenner in place of Stephanie Seymour.  “In retrospect, the banana episode seems like a way to think about everything from fake news to viral fame to institutional distrust to wealth inequality,” says editor-in-chief, Mark Guiducci. “In the way that Jeff Koons was the artist of the glittery neon aughts, Maurizio Cattelan is the artist of our dystopian era. Like it or not.” (more…)

SCMP Profiles Head of Bangkok’s Museum of Contemporary Art

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

SCMP has a piece on Kit Bencharongkul, the son of Thai business tycoon Boonchai Bencharongkul, who runs his father’s Museum of Contemoprary Art in Bangkok, and is pushing to keep the museum’s cutting-edge focus.  (more…)

New York Magazine Spotlights Destination Crenshaw Project

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

New York Magazine profiles the efforts to construct Destination Crenshaw, a new social and arts site akin to New York’s High Line, which many see as a way to continue the healing and development of a long-neglected community. “It’s wide enough to be a real place for gathering, sitting, and hanging out,” says architect Zena Howard. “There are places to sit, stop, and look down at the events happening below. We even designed it so you could bring back the Sundays with the lowriders and have a show.” (more…)

Bronx Museum Names Jasmine Wahi as Holly Block Social Justice Curator

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Jasmine Wahi, founder and co-director of Project for Empty Space in Newark, New Jersey, has been named the Holly Block Social Justice Curator at the Bronx Museum. “A city like Newark that has been predominantly a city of color and outside the mainstream has a stigma,” she says. “I feel it gives me a bit of insight into working in the Bronx, which is also a city mainly made up of people of color from all different backgrounds. That is the appeal for me, and that is also what gives me the experience with people who are beyond just the art world. I’m really hoping to make an impact at a wider community level.” (more…)

Aspen Art Museum Closing Kusama Infinity Room Show Over Building Code Violation

Tuesday, February 18th, 2020

The Aspen Art Museum will close its Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room show 11 weeks early due to an unresolved building code violation.  “The AAM and the City of Aspen have reviewed the museum’s [Kusama] installation to ensure its compliance with municipal building codes,” the museum says. “It is the determination of both parties that fulfilling the artwork’s need for natural light and appropriate space and code requirements cannot be achieved equitably within the museum’s layout at this time.” (more…)