A New York federal judge has ruled the $380 million lawsuit brought by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev against Sotheby’s will go forward.  The case is part of the collector’s ongoing efforts to cover losses from his art purchases through Yves Bouvier.  (more…)

A painting believed to be a lost Caravaggio, and valued at upwards of $170 million has been bought just days before it was due to go on sale in France. “Not only is it a Caravaggio, but of all the Caravaggios that are known today, this is one of the great pictures,” says expert Eric Turquin.  (more…)

Collector Eli Broad has an opinion piece in the NYT this week, calling on the US Government to raise taxes on the wealthiest citizens in the country.  “We are a nation of strivers who can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps with the right combination of grit and determination,” he writes. “That’s the tale we love to tell and hear. But take it from a person who has found himself on the fortunate side of that narrative: This story is incomplete. For most people, our system isn’t working.” (more…)

Thirty of Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio Organizations (NPOs) have signed on to a project for energy independence and limiting carbon emissions.  “We’re really going beyond that annual number,” says Environmental Program Lead, Claire Buckley. “The Spotlight program has come in really to push and to support reductions – quantifiable reductions – from the buildings of the big energy users.” (more…)

Berlin’s state museum group will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss a claim filed by the heirs of a consortium of Jewish art dealers over rights to a €200 million hoard of works referred to as the Guelph Treasure.  “The SPK is convinced that this was not a sale under duress due to Nazi persecution,” the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation said. “It views these claims as unfounded. Regardless of this, the SPK is of the opinion that this case—concerning a historic transaction between Germans in Germany— shouldn’t be heard in a US court.” (more…)

Despite an increasingly fraught relationship between Iran and the United States, and ever-tightening series of sanctions, Tehran has opened a new edition of its Teer Art Fair this week. “Young collectors, emerging collectors, are engaging with the art scene, and those who have money are purchasing Iranian art,” says Maryam Majd, the co-owner of the Assar Gallery. (more…)

A piece on radiocarbon dating in Forbes this week looks at how the technology might be used to prevent art fogery and fraud.  “The works of Beltracchi could probably all be spotted as fakes with this technique, who is known to have recycled older canvases,” explains Laura Hendriks, who recently penned a study on how the technology could be used. (more…)

MoMA has launched a new online platform, Magazine to feature various pieces of scholarly writing, commissioned projects and features.  (more…)

A piece in Popular Mechanics this week charts the challenges and issues with maintaining pieces of avant-garde work, and early techonologically-driven pieces. “The first person was hired to do something like this in 2005,” says Glenn Wharton, a time-based media conservator at MoMA. “Now there are about a dozen. I think we need about 100. There’s a huge need, and it’s growing fast.” (more…)

David Zwirner is expanidng its digital footprint, as the gallerist’s son, Lucas, currently editorial director of David Zwirner Books, is appointed head of content for the entire gallery. “We have this incredible online platform that’s more than just a sales platform, it’s an exhibition space,” Zwirner told ARTnews. “It’s a space where we can curate shows, highlight artists, and tell stories. In that respect, it’s also a kind of publishing platform.” (more…)

The NYT looks at the different versions of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and the differing materials used to create some of his most iconic works. “Though the basic palette is the same, there were different colors that were used, differences in paint texturing, and his brushwork is different,” says Ella Hendriks, a professor of conservation and restoration at the University of Amsterdam. (more…)

Artist Amy Sherald, who was tapped to create the official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama has erected a massive mural in Philadelphia, showing local resident Najee Spencer-Young.  “Given Philadelphia’s cultural landscape, I think it’s important to also have that diversity represented within its visual landscape,” she said. (more…)

Curator Peter Selz, who organized several major shows at MoMA before serving as the first director of University of California’s Berkeley Art Museum, has passed away at the age of 100. “Over the course of his tenure as our founding director, Peter transformed BAMPFA from a modest university art collection into the internationally renowned art and film institution it is today,” said Lawrence Rinder, BAMPFA’s current director and chief curator. “Generations of Bay Area art lovers have benefited from his insight, knowledge, independence, and boundless energy, and his legacy will reverberate across and beyond our museum for decades to come.” (more…)

David Berliner, the Brooklyn Museum’s president and chief operating officer, gives New York Magazine a tour of his office and the works he selected for its walls.   “I was inspired by Anne [Pasternak, his predecessor]’s office. It was gorgeous. So that was my point of departure.” (more…)

Frieze has unveiled its exhibitor lists for its London and Frieze Masters fairs, this fall in Regent’s Park from October 3 to 6. The show will feature a range of curatorial projects alongside its standard selections.  (more…)

The Met is commemorating World Refugee Day this year by covering artist Marc Chagall’s The Lovers, posing the question of a world where refugees were not welcomed from the violence and crises they fled. “The Met is newly aware of its responsibility to not have a neutral position,” says Sheena Wagstaff, chairman of modern and contemporary art at the Met. (more…)

Night Gallery in Los Angeles has added Han Bing, Robert Nava, and Brie Ruais. to its roster. “The gallery is thrilled to continue to support emerging artists,” says Brian Faucette, Night Gallery’s senior director. “As we head into our 10th season in 2020, we feel that these three artists, each with their own distinctive practices, will reflect that mission.” (more…)

Gagosian has hired Sebastian Cwilich, the co-founder of Artsy, as a part-time senior adviser, continuing a recent push towards tech first embrace by the hire of chief technology officer Gareth O’Loughlin, formerly the vice president of technology at Casper. “Gareth and Sebastian are both leaders in the field, with a broad range of skill sets and unique perspectives on technology, business strategy, and operations,” Larry Gagosian, the gallery’s founder, told ARTnews in a statement. “They will be great additions to the gallery, enhancing and expanding our innovative work.” (more…)

Marc Quinn’s upcoming installation for the NYPL is profiled in Forbes this week, as the artist collects blood from 10,000 people to create two sculptures, one with the blood of refugees and one with the blood of other donors. “It’s the type of thing you look at and say: ‘I can’t say which one I am, so I must be both,’” he says. “There’s no difference between them. They’re like a gateway, in a way. They’re about arrivals and departures.” (more…)

Almine Rech, will open in Shanghai next month, sharing a floor on 27 Huqiu Road with Lisson. “The decision to expand to Asia was a natural one for us, as we’ve long been interested in the Asian market and engaged with collectors in the region through our participation in art fairs, as well as institutional outreach, collaboration, and regular visits to the region,” says owner Almine Rech-Picasso. (more…)

Artist Lonnie Holley is interviewed in Artforum this week, speaking on his music and his vision for his broader body of work. “All my work, in any form, comes down to oneness,” he says. “The oneness is important: the oneness goes all the way down to this one universe that we believe in; this one mothership, our planet Earth, that we live in; this one mother that gave birth to us and that we should respect; and then that one gray spot that we’re going to after we are dead and gone.” (more…)

Curator and deputy director for international initiatives Donna De Salvo is leaving the Whitney museum after 15 years.  De Dalvo organized the institution’s major Andy Warhol show last year, and has been a fixture of its curatorial program. “I hold a deep regard for the Whitney, which has been my home for one of the most fulfilling periods of my career,” she said in a statement.  (more…)

A piece in the SF Chronicle this week looks at the path forward for the Fine Arts Museums of SF following the departure of longtime Board of Trustees President Dede Wilsey.  “It’s like Queen Elizabeth,” says former museum head Harry Parker. “If you’ve got something that ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There has never been a serious opponent or candidate to succeed her.” (more…)

Following controversy over her financial ties to an Israeli spy company, Yana Peel has stepped down as CEO of The Serpentine Galleries in London. “While we have every confidence in the Serpentine’s ability to continue to serve artists, visitors, and supporters in the future, she will be sorely missed,” a museum statement reads. “The arts sector will be poorer without her immeasurable contributions to our cultural lives.” (more…)