Faith Ringgold will have her first New York retrospective at the New Museum in 2022.  (more…)

The Museum of Contemporary Art has announced that Johanna Burton will now serve as the sole and first female director of the museum, as Klaus Biesenbach heads to Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. “We congratulate Klaus on the honor of being appointed as the director of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin,” reads a MOCA statement. “We wish him the best and thank him for his contributions to MOCA.” (more…)

After a sit-down between the mayor of Amsterdam and the heirs of a Jewish owner of a Kandinsky work hanging in the the Stedelijk, the city has announced it will return the work to the family. “This is a historic injustice that is being put right,” says the family’s lawyer, Simon van der Sluijs. (more…)

Beijing’s UCCA Center for Contemporary Art will open a new location in the Sichuan province of Chengdu, the Art Newspaper reports.  “Chengdu is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing cities in China and we have been closely following its development and accomplishments in the arts in recent years,” says UCCA director and chief executive Philip Tinari.  (more…)

Johanna Burton has been named the new executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. “MOCA’s artist-centered mission dovetails with my own commitment to creating platforms that foster artistic innovation and emphasize deep connections to audiences,” she says in a statement. “By pursuing these goals and supporting the efforts of MOCA’s team, I’m looking forward to extending the museum’s legacy while strengthening bonds both within the institution and with the public.” (more…)

The Art Newspaper reports on the increasingly strict restrictions on travel into Switzerland for Art Basel this year, and the increasing pressure to postpone or cancel the event.  (more…)

Gallerists Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy, Amalia Dayan and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn will join forces to create LGDR, a project working as a consortium to organize shows and represent artists. “We’ve been looking at ourselves in the mirror and trying to understand who we are and what is the best way to address our clients,” says Gorvy. “What is the business model that is appropriate? We don’t have to do everything, but we can do anything.” (more…)

The Banksy piece that shredded itself shortly after sale in 2018 will go back under the hammer at Sotheby’s, The Guardian reports, offered with a  £4-6m estimate.  (more…)

Gallerist David Kordansky and artist Mindy Shapero give W Magazine a tour of their Los Feliz home, showcasing their collection of art and furniture. “I think Dave would be happy if all the walls were white,” Shapero says. “He wants the art to sing, right? I want the art to sing too, but along with everything else.” (more…)

The Mayor of Amsterdam is in talks with the descendants of the former owner of a Kandinsky painting, who are seeking to reclaim the work from the Stedelijk. (more…)

Artist Julien Nguyen has an interview this month in the New York Times, discussing his work and how video games like Starcraft informed his practice. “You’re building your empire and conquering different parts of the world or space,” he says. “I wanted to become a concept artist who designs all the characters and spaceships and buildings.” (more…)

Artist Lee Young-chul is the first name tapped to represent South Korea at next year’s Venice Biennale.“It is not known whether more artists will join the Korean Pavilion. It is up to the artistic director,” an official said. “But it is rare for a single artist to represent the pavilion.”
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Artist Barbara Kruger has an interview on Art Newspaper this week, discussing her work, projects, and the current zeitgeist.  “Thank God I’m an artist and not an internet or TikTok or movie star,” she says. “Any time I go to a gala, all those people are fighting to get on the red carpet, but the photographers don’t give a flying fuck about artists.” (more…)

As U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, and the country prepares for the rise of the Taliban, museums and collections are bracing for threats to their collections.  “We didn’t expect this to happen so quickly,” said Noor Agha Noori, head of Afghanistan’s Institute of Archaeology in Kabul.  (more…)

Sotheby’s will sell 11 Picasso works owned by MGM Resorts, estimated at a combined value of around $100m.“We are committed to creating an even more inclusive collection that maintains the breadth of our existing portfolio while giving a greater voice to artists from underrepresented communities,” says Ari Kastrati, the chief hospitality officer of MGM Resorts. (more…)

Stefan Kalmár will leave his position as director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, a post he’s held since 2016. “Directorships should never be for life—fixed tenures should be the norm not the exception,” he said. (more…)

Marian Goodman Gallery has announced a new partnership structure and leadership plan, with Philipp Kaiser, moving from his position as chief executive director of artists and programs to president and partner, while executive directors Emily-Jane Kirwan, Rose Lord, Leslie Nolen, and Junette Teng have all been named as partners. “I am a passionate advocate for my artists,” Goodman says. “I feel a deep sense of commitment to them and have ever since I first opened my business. The creation of this partnership will allow my vision and rigorous program to continue to thrive.” (more…)

Ace Gallery founder Douglas J. Chrismas has been arrested on charges of embezzlement, the LA Times reports. Chrismas is accused of embezzling $100,000 owed the gallery for a sale. (more…)

The art collection of the late Dallas oil billionaire Edwin “Ed” L. Cox Sr. will head to Christie’s, featuring an impressive group of Impressionist masterworks, which the auction house called “the finest and most expensive impressionist collections ever to be sold.” (more…)

Christie’s will open a new, state-of-the-art Hong Kong headquarters in 2024, following the auction house’s strong results in past years in Asia.“We will evolve from primarily hosting two main auction seasons a year, to programming all year-round,” says Francis Belin, Christie’s Asia Pacific president. (more…)

English curator Tanya Barson and head of programs Pablo Martínez are out at Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, creating a conflict among art world insiders. “I strongly believe that a major motivation for the restructuring was a way of effecting our departure from the museum because we had permanent contracts,” Barson says. (more…)

Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery  will minting and sell an NFT of William Blake’s Europe Plate i: Frontispiece, The Ancient of Days, and will set the funds aside for “socially beneficial projects.” “The Whitworth decided to embark on this project because it wanted to think about how it could redistribute the wealth of its collections in the most democratic way. This technology offers the opportunity to open up the collections to the broadest possible audience,” says director Alistair Hudson. (more…)

Italy will impose a new “vaccine green card” policy for public spaces and cultural institutions like art museums, The Guardian reports. “But the Delta variant is threatening. It spreads much more quickly than other variants,” says prime minister Mario Draghi. “I invite all Italians to get vaccinated and to do so straight away. Without vaccinations, we’d have to close everything again.” (more…)

The US Treasury has sanctioned Bulgarian collector Vassil Kroumov Bojkov, part of an ongoing investigation that some feel could have repercussions in the art market. “Sanctions compliance is a critical part of due diligence and has been for a long time. Collectors and businesses need to be prudent about reviewing counterparties,” says Nicholas O’Donnell, an attorney at Sullivan & Worcester. (more…)