Archive for the 'News' Category

Supreme Court Sides with Germany in Guelph Treasure Case

Thursday, February 4th, 2021

The Supreme Court has sided with Germany in the Guelph Treasure case, refusing to require the country to return the artifacts under the conditions of the case. “A ‘taking of property’ could be ‘wrongful under international law’ only where a state deprived ‘an alien’ of property,” the Supreme Court said. (more…)

Artist David Fordjour Joins David Kordansky Gallery

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021

Artist Derek Fordjour has joined David Kordansky Gallery, Art News reports. “He’s created an immediately recognizable iconography and materiality that grapples with complex and urgent themes of identity, race, vulnerability, and grief,” says gallery partner Mike Homer. (more…)

Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection to Stay in Spain

Monday, February 1st, 2021

The Spanish government has struck a deal to keep the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection in Spain, Art Newspaper reports. “The [culture] minister has managed to agree a solid contract lasting 15 years, with the option for the State to purchase the collection at the end of that period. The annual fee is €6.5m a year for a set of paintings and sculptures with a value of €1bn,” the Spanish culture ministry said in a statement. (more…)

Dealer Richard Feigen Has Passed Away, Age 90

Monday, February 1st, 2021

Dealer Richard Feigen has passed away at age 90 after contracting Covid-19. Feigen was an early pioneer in Soho before shifting into Old Masters works, where he solidified his reputation as a cunning tastemaker. (more…)

Art World Figures Discuss New Normal Under Covid-19

Monday, February 1st, 2021

Adam D. Weinberg, Shirin Neshat and more talk in the New York Times this week about how Covid-19 has changed their ways of life, and how they’re working to continue supporting charities and causes during this challenging time. “I miss the serendipity of bumping into people, crossing paths in a spontaneous way,” Weinberg says. “Some of our best conversations used to take place in an elevator or on our way out the door. Those random things that are the fabric of our lives are so greatly diminished.” (more…)

Surrealist Works form Collection of Man Ray’s Assistant Head to Auction

Friday, January 29th, 2021

A group of Surrealist pieces held by the artist Man Ray‘s former assistant will head to auction at Christie’s Paris this March.  The collection includes work by the artist as well as from his close friends and collaborators, like Marcel Duchamp. (more…)

Tania Bruguera Arrested Following Protest in Cuba

Friday, January 29th, 2021

Cuban artist Tania Bruguera has been arrested in Havana for her involvement in a protest at the Ministry of Culture this past week.  “Cubans cannot accept that there are artists in prison” the artist said in a statement. (more…)

U.S. Mayors Call for Federal Support Plan for the Arts

Friday, January 29th, 2021

A group of mayors from ten major US cities have delivered an open a letter to the Biden-Harris administration, pushing for a federal support plan for the arts. “Given what we know about the efficacy of the arts in developing the conditions that are vital to civic healing and unity, social connection and belonging, collective trust and safety, life-long learning, and economic and social justice,” it reads, “it would strengthen our recovery efforts to arm our arts agencies (NEA, NEH, IMLS) with focus and intention in order to serve our most pressing needs while also ensuring that overall arts and culture strategies are incorporated into initiatives within other parts of the administration and across federal departments and national recovery work.” (more…)

Antony Gormley Concerned New A1 Construction to Threaten Views of “Angel of the North”

Friday, January 29th, 2021

Antony Gormley is worried that a proposed upgrade to the A1 carriageway would threaten or obstruct views of his immense work Angel of the North.  “It would be heartbreaking to lose sight of the Angel of the North on the approach from the A1, and thus I am desperate to do all I can to protect these views,” he writes. (more…)

TEFAF Postpones Fairs Yet Again

Thursday, January 28th, 2021

Citing the current uncertainty around the pandemic, the European Fine Art Foundation, which runs TEFAF will postpone its main fair in Maastricht until September, pushing its New York event until 2022.  “The unpredictability and endurance of the pandemic has cast a new light on our work and our lives over the past year. TEFAF looks with great enthusiasm toward the future,” says TEFAF chairman Hidde van Seggelen.  (more…)

Art Newspaper Explores NFT Crypto Assets for Digital Works

Thursday, January 28th, 2021

A piece in Art Newspaper this week looks at Non-Fungible Tokens, a new crypto technology that represents digital works and proof of ownership, allowing the assets to be purchased and traded. “All the art I make is digital, in the form of videos or images—now I’m chomping at the bit to sell more works this way,” says dealer Kenny Schachter, who has been producing NFTSs for works he makes and sells. “I am convinced that the field will mushroom in the coming two or three years.” (more…)

Paris Looks to Challenge London as Art Market Capital of Europe

Thursday, January 28th, 2021

A piece in Art Newspaper looks at Paris’s resurgent role in the art market, and asks if it might seize a leadership role in Europe over London. “Paris already has the infrastructure, the logistics, the know-how and in addition it’s centralized, whereas Germany has a number of regional centers plus its restrictive export law; Italy has dreadful red tape,” says Pierre Naquin, a French entrepreneur and tax specialist; “I don’t see any other European city being able to take over from London.” (more…)

Christie’s CEO Guillaume Cerutti Interviewed in Art News

Thursday, January 28th, 2021

Christie’s CEO Guillaume Cerutti speaks with Art News this week, as he contends with the new landscape of the auction market in the current days and months to come. “2020 was an unusual year: collector demand was resilient, but supply was more difficult [to obtain], with some consignors being concerned by the impact of the pandemic,” he says. “Private sales and guarantees have undoubtedly been a way to reconcile these two diverging trends. There are traditionally fewer guarantees in Asia than in Europe and in America, for various reasons. In any event, the decision to use a guarantee remains case by case, according to each consignor’s risk appetite.” (more…)

Georg Baselitz Donates Six of His Works to Met

Thursday, January 28th, 2021

Georg Baselitz has donated six of his paintings from his holdings to The Met.  “He’s very interested in the context that the Met collection can provide,” says director Max Hollein. “I think he was very excited and pleased.” (more…)

Inside the Frick Collection’s Takeover of the Former Met Breuer

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

A piece in Town and Country this week documents the Frick’s takeover of the Met Breuer building. Director Ian Wardropper says the exhibitions at the newly renovated space will “remind people that the Frick is not just a painting collection.” (more…)

Rembrandt Work Firmly Reattributed as Work of the Artist

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

A piece in the collection of Pennsylvania’s Allentown Art Museum has been firmly reattributed as an official Rembrandt.  “It’s very exciting,” says museum VP of curatorial affairs, Elaine Mehalakes. “It was a painting that had been in good standing for three centuries, and this is really a reassertion of the attribution.” (more…)

Ai Weiwei: China “The Greatest Challenge the West has Ever Faced

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

In a recent public appearance, Ai Weiwei called China “the greatest challenge the West has ever faced,” referring in particular to the current political state of Hong Kong and its relationship to mainland China.   “This is not just a struggle between Hong Kong and China. It is a struggle between freedom and a sectarian state. Hong Kong represents a value we should all protect,” he says. (more…)

NYT Documents Efforts to Clean and Restore Louvre During Paris Lockdown

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

A piece in the New York Times documents the recent efforts to clean and restore works and spaces in the Louvre while the museum is shuttered under Covid restrictions. “For some projects, the lockdown has allowed us to do in five days what would have previously taken five weeks,” says curator Sébastien Allard. (more…)

Rare Arshile Gorky and Wassily Kandinsky Head to Sotheby’s London

Tuesday, January 26th, 2021

Two rare pieces by Arshile Gorky and Wassily Kandinsky from the collection of the same private European owner, not seen publicly since the 1970’s, will debut at Sotheby’s modern and contemporary art evening sale in London on March 25, and are anticipated to reach a shared total of £3.7 million ($5.08 million). (more…)

Centre Pompidou Will Close for Renovations from 2023 to 2027

Tuesday, January 26th, 2021

The Centre Pompidou in Paris will close for renovations in 2023 through 2027. “There were two options,” says French culture minister Roselyne Bachelot. “One involved renovating the center while keeping it open, the other was closing it completely.” Bachelot said that the latter option was ultimately more appealing because “it should be shorter and a little bit less expensive.”  (more…)

MoMA Chair Leon Black Leaving Apollo After Reports of Over $150 Million in Payments to Jeffrey Epstein

Tuesday, January 26th, 2021

Leon Black, chairman of the Museum of Modern Art,  is leaving his role as CEO of Apollo Global Management, after news broke of his payments of over $150 million to the late Jeffrey Epstein. “I have advised the Apollo board that I will retire as C.E.O. on or before my 70th birthday in July and remain as chairman,” he said in a statement. (more…)

Blocks of Artist Studios to be Demolished in Moscow

Monday, January 25th, 2021

Around 700 artists are being evicted from their studios in Moscow following the announcement of a government renovation plan. “The lease contract drawn up by Moscow city has a clause stipulating that if the buildings are demolished, we cannot demand replacement studios,” says Yuri Kurshakov. “It’s hard to stomach because we’re not just talking about a few studios here, but entire clusters that will disappear.” (more…)

Town and Country Documents Allegations of Fraud Against German Advisor

Monday, January 25th, 2021

A piece in Town and Country documents the allegations against art advisor Angela Gulbenkian, who is alleged to have swindled dealers out of millions in sales, while spending the money. “I don’t think she was very active in the art market,” says Kenny Schachter. “It would be hard to find people who had dealings with her. She was more of an upstart.” (more…)

Collection of Former Samsung Chair Up for Appraisal

Monday, January 25th, 2021

The collection of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee is currently being appraised after his passage last year. “Prices of some of the works have probably surged drastically since Lee purchased them,” says an anonymous source. (more…)