Collector Audrey Irmas is selling an iconic Cy Twombly blackboard painting this fall at Sotheby’s, with $30 million from the sale proceeds going to fund a new Rem Koolhaas designed building for the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles.  “I hope this building will provide a gathering place for cultural life and social events in a very diverse neighborhood,” says Ms. Irmas. (more…)

Phillips is expanding its focus to include Modern Art, the Art Newspaper reports, specifically focusing on early 20th century work with ties to the contemporary.  “For a long time now, collectors have been buying across the 20th century. I want to flesh out Phillip’s presence in that market without losing our traditional focus on cutting-edge contemporary,” says Phillips head Edward Dolman. (more…)

Bosnia’s National Museum has reopened after a three-year closure due to a lack of funding.  “The National Museum is the national treasury of all citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Bosnia’s Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic said. (more…)

The Swiss artist Not Vital has announced plans to purchase Schloss Tarasp, a twelfth-century castle located in the Swiss Alps, for $8 million.  As part of the purchase, the artist has agreed to keep the castle’s museum publicly accessible until at least 2030.  (more…)

Eli Broad is profiled in Bloomberg this week, as the collector opens his new museum, and makes the case for L.A.’s new status as an art-world capital.  “We’re really the contemporary-art capital of the world,” he says. “New York still is the commercial-art capital of the world — but a month doesn’t go by when one of their galleries doesn’t move to Los Angeles.” (more…)

A piece by Christopher Knight in the LA Times notes that the Broad Museum’s stated goal of keeping its collection circulating and on loan may be harder than it seems. “Museums are notoriously hard to define. Except for those that don’t collect at all, however, the most important activity they undertake is exhibiting a permanent collection,” he says.  “The display defines the place, giving a distinctive public profile to an otherwise faceless institution.” (more…)

The New York Times profiles Bushwick’s Signal Gallery this week, noting the space’s forward-thinking programming and focus on the cutting-edge of the contemporary discourse.  “Four or five years ago, everything around here felt slapdash. Sometime during our search for a space, it became very clear that we could present things in this area at a level that was more professional and respectful,” says co-founder Kyle Clairmont Jacques. (more…)

A group of former students at USC’s Roski School of Art are reporting that a blog they started in 2012 was taken over by USC Administration without their notification.  “Beyond it being a retaliative move, it was a strategic attempt at wiping those statements off the web,” says recent graduate Jacinto Astiazarán. (more…)

Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a list of 262 small and midsize nonprofit cultural institutions that will benefit from its $30 million Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) program.  The two year program provides unrestricted grants to these organizations, as well as management training.  “Local arts groups are economic and cultural engines that contribute to communities in ways that few other industries can,” says Michael Bloomberg. “By supporting smaller organizations that don’t typically have endowments and providing them with management training, we are working to help them have an even greater positive impact on an even broader audience.” (more…)

Art Berlin Contemporary is set to take place this week, with 100 participating galleries taking up space in the halls of Station Berlin at Gleisdreieck.   (more…)

The New York Times has a profile on Joshua Roth this week, the head of United Talent Agency’s new fine arts division.  “I’m interested in artists who are re-envisioning the way to make art and re-envisioning how people experience it,” he says. “And I think our agency can be really helpful in that way. We want to help find opportunities for artists outside of the gallery.” (more…)

Activists occupied the lobby of the British Museum this weekend, in protest against the museum’s acceptance of funds from BP, once again drawing attention to the oil company’s contributions to the country’s largest arts institutions.  “They get to purchase a social licence to operate, which is incredibly important for a company like BP,” says activist Danny Chivers of BP or not BP. (more…)

Sotheby’s most recent S.E.C. filings indicate that the auction house has guaranteed nearly the full $500 million estimated from its sale of works from the Alfred Taubman estate.  “In the event that the property sells for less than the guaranteed price, Sotheby’s must perform under the auction guarantee by funding the difference between the sale price at auction and the amount of the auction guarantee,” the filing says. (more…)

Art Basel Miami Beach has announced its list of galleries for the 2015 edition of the fair, featuring 267 international galleries drawn from 32 countries around the globe, and a number of projects, opening exhibitions and public installs during the week. (more…)

Christie’s has appointed Sonya Roth as the auction house’s new Southern California head. “Many in the community know Sonya already as a great convener of individuals who are passionate about great art and collecting,” says Brook Hazelton, Christie’s president for the Americas. “She brings a wealth of experience and creative leadership to a vibrant region that is ripe with exciting and engaging opportunities.”  (more…)

Hauser and Wirth has set its opening date for its Los Angeles gallery for March 13th of next year, opening in partnership with Paul Schimmel.  The gallery will be set on 3rd Street Downtown. (more…)

A Versailles politician is taking Anish Kapoor to court over the artist’s decision to leave anti-semitic graffiti on his sculpture at the Versailles Palace.  Versailles municipal councillor Fabien Bouglé filed a complaint to the local public prosecutor, claiming that the graffiti’s content was “perfectly clear”  “I think it’s a wonderful reversal; I’ll see him in court,” Kapoor says. “It shows how insane the whole thing is.” (more…)

An independent art dealer in Victoria, British Colombia, thinks he has purchased an unsigned Henry Moore original for $20,000, and is pushing for authentication that could value the work at up to $150,000.  “It was a first casting. Moore wanted to change something to it. He wasn’t happy with the feet,” says Alison Ross, the owner of Kilshaw’s, where the work sold. “That’s why it was not signed. It was never for sale.”  (more…)

Michelle Maccarone is the subject of a profile in Bloomberg this week, noting her reputation for support of challenging and forward-thinking young artists.  “When times were chaotic financially, it was still worth it,” says the artist Nate Lowman, who’s been represented by Maccarone since 2003. “It’s the richest experience I’ve ever had. She loves art, not because it’s expensive, but because it’s interesting. She’s an intellectual, always present and always thinking.” (more…)

Vandals have once again defaced Anish Kapoor’s Dirty Corner sculpture at Versailles, this time covering it in anti-semitic graffiti.  The artist has expressed some desire to leave the graffiti, emphasizing the state of religious and cultural intolerance in France, and “to turn what I hoped always was an act of affirmation as a work of art into something else, into a kind of lament to a state of intolerance,” he said.  (more…)

Frank Stella is the subject of a New York Times profile this week, as the artist prepares to open his career retrospective at The Whitney later this fall, and notes his increasing focus on sculpture as he ages.  “It’s all about your body balance. I would fall over now trying to paint.” (more…)

Hans Ulrich Obrist has been awarded with the 2015 International Folkwang Prize awarded by the Folkwang Museum in Essen, Germany.  Obrist had previously organized his lauded 12 Rooms project at the museum in 2012. (more…)

Over $500 million in art from the Alfred Taubman estate will go on sale at Sotheby’s this fall, Bloomberg reports, including a special “Masterworks” sale that will include classic pieces by Picasso and de Kooning.  “He was a self-made man and his collection was put together with his own eye,” says Simon Shaw, co-head of Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Department. “While he is a very well-known figure, he is not known as a collector. It will be a surprise for people.” (more…)

John Baldessari and Meredith Monk will receive National Medals of Arts at the White House this week, celebrating their contributions to contemporary practice.  The awards ceremony will take place September 10th. (more…)