A decision in a trade dispute between the US and the EU could cause a price hike for American buyers of photographs and prints. “Because the tariffs apply to lithographs and photographs printed in the last twenty years, they will also have a considerable impact on living artists, who rely on galleries as an important vehicle to sell their works and to foster cultural exchange,” a statement from the ADAA says. “Additionally problematic is the short time between the WTO’s decision and the tariffs’ enforcement, leaving small businesses little time to prepare and adapt.” (more…)

The Courtauld Institute of Art in London is creating two new permanent teaching posts in modern and contemporary art of Africa and the African diaspora, after a $750,000 grant in funding from the New York-based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “The grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will help further develop the Courtauld’s robust research program that focuses attention on migration, diversity, and artists who have been marginalised by curricula and arts institutions,” the institute said in a statement. (more…)

David Zwirner Gallery is expecting over 100,000 visitors to its show of new works by Yayoi Kusama, including a new Infinity Room by the artist. “Every time Kusama has a show, whether it’s in a museum or a gallery, attendance grows,” says senior partner Hanna Schouwink. “The interest in her work continues to grow. People always think, ‘If I come Tuesday, there won’t be lines.’ For sure, there will always be lines.” (more…)

In an open letter published this week, over 220 artists, academics, and curators have asked MoMA and one of its trustees, Larry Fink, to stop relying on financial services that have stakes in private prisons. “We denounce MoMA’s connections to mass incarceration, global dispossession and climate catastrophe, and demand that MoMA’s Board member Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, divest from prison companies, the war machine and the destruction of the global environment,” the letter reads.  (more…)

Gagosian Gallery is offering a selection of works by Cindy Sherman and Catherine Opie as series of signet rings and brooches. “The project aligns a strong sense of tradition with the present through a unique, artisan sensibility,” says designer Liz Swig. “The beauty of the objects is powerful, but so is the meaning behind this project—a strong respect for both the old and the new.” (more…)

Mark Bradford gets a profile in the Washington Post as part of its “Decade Influencers” section, reviewing his work and process. “There is improvisation,” he says of his deftly layering constructions, “but I know what I put under there. I keep exacting notes. Every time I put on a different piece of paper, I take a picture and it goes into my database. I know exactly what color I put on yesterday. So when I’m sanding, I know it’s a dark gray.” (more…)

A piece in Art Newspaper this week looks at the theft of Caravaggio’s Nativity in 1969, and asks if police have been chasing red herrings and bad tips during their 50-year search for the work. (more…)

Art News asks a group of artists what they’d like to see in a renovated MoMA as the museum prepares to reopen. “I am curious to see what the new MoMA will do with the reimagined hanging of the permanent collection,” says Betty Tompkins. “I think of art history as a conversation between generations over time. I hope the new reimagined rooms have some aspect of that.” (more…)

François Pinault’s new, $170 million museum in the former Bourse de Commerce is scheduled to open in June 2020.  The space is anticipated to be a closely watched institution for contemporary art. (more…)

An Italian court has blocked the Gallerie dell’Accademia from lending da Vinci’s 1490 drawing Virtruvian Man, to the Louvre, saying the work is too fragile.  The announcement came after lobbying from Italia Nostra, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting Italian artworks. (more…)

The ICA Philadelphia has received an anonymous gift of $1.15 million, which will be used to endow the position of director of public engagement. “ICA is extremely grateful to this anonymous donor for making such a visionary gift,” says interim director John McInerney. (more…)

Artists Simone Leigh, Amy Sherald and Lorna Simpson are interviewed in the NYT this week, reviewing the expectations faced by black women in the art world and how they respond to these expectations in their work. “This is a moment, but I think this is also a moment that has been in the making,” Simpson says. (more…)

Restoration of Keith Haring’s famed Crack is Wack is nearly complete at Harlem River Park. The piece has been restored multiple times since it was first painted in 1986. (more…)

Robert Mnuchin will sell a Willem de Kooning, at Sotheby’s next month in NYC, estimated at $25 million to $35 million. “This was one of the best from that period,” says dealer David Nash. “Now, 15 years later, they are extremely rare. They’ve been dispersed to private collections and museums.” (more…)

The 2019 Aichi Triennale in Japan has reopened a controversial part of its presentation; “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” which explored a history of censorship of artworks in the country. The closure was the result of works delving into the history of ianfu, or comfort women, who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II by the Imperial Japanese Army. (more…)

The Desert X Art Biennial will open an edition in Saudi Arabia, leading to a number of board members leaving the organization. “Our mission has always been to create a platform for conversations around art and to welcome a multiplicity of voices,”Desert X founder and board President Susan Davis said in defense of the position. “Ultimately, it’s a way to have direct communication — artists to artists, artists to individuals, artists to the bigger audiences.” (more…)

A group of some artists and writers have signed a “Letter of Concern” to Swiss Institute, asking it to respond to pending domestic violence charges against exhibiting artist Tobias Madison.  “While a verdict has not yet been reached in court,” the letter reads, “we take these accusations seriously, and we believe a conversation about them must take place. How should we, as a community, address these kinds of troubling claims? We defer to you. Ignoring them is not the answer.” (more…)

A 17th-century portrait of a Spanish royal family member has been confirmed as a piece by Anthony van Dyck, after online debate on the site Art UK pushed for a reconsideration of the work’s origins. “This Van Dyck discovery is an especially important one and unequivocally proves the value of this innovative use of digital technology to share and grow knowledge,” says Andrew Ellis, Art UK’s director. (more…)

The New York Times has a piece on the late Robert Indiana’s proposed museum in his Maine home, and discussions on how the artist’s nonprofit will manage the property. “We haven’t hit that sweet spot yet,” says Larry Sterrs of Maine nonprofit management. “We’ve heard most about what people don’t want to see.” (more…)

Francis Naumann Fine Art will close its 57th Streetspace in March 2020. “My reason for closing is primarily financial,” he says. “Over the years, I’ve learned there are fewer and fewer collectors of 20th century art, most preferring to buy cutting-edge contemporary art (and at far higher prices). Moreover, people are attracted by big-name artists or they buy the work of minor artists from big-name galleries.” (more…)

David Breslin and Adrienne Edwards will curate the 2021 Whitney Biennial, the museum has announced.  The pair are both in-house curators and have worked on a number of shows for the museum in the past few years. (more…)

Antony Gormley is preparing a new batch of stentorian sculptures off on the coast of Brittany, a comment on the British nation’s current Brexit efforts. “I am very excited about this,” he says. “After all, how do you understand yourself other than by your relations with your nearest neighbors?” (more…)

New York dealer Phillip A. Bruno has donated a trove of works to the Hunterian Art Gallery, Scotland’s oldest public museum in Glasgow. “I am so looking forward to seeing my gifts on a Scottish wall,” Bruno says. (more…)

Yoshitomo Nara’s Knife Behind Back (2000) has smashed the artist’s auction record in Hong Kong this week, selling for 195.7 million HKD, or about $24.9 million, and placing the artist among the highest priced living artists. (more…)