A group of over 600 artists have signed a pledge supporting Bernie Sanders for president. “We represent a diverse coalition of people that work within art and culture from around the world, and with this letter, we would like to declare our support for Senator Bernie Sanders and endorse his candidacy for President of the United States,” the letter reads, with artists Kara Walker, Kim Gordon and more signed on already. (more…)

Responding to ongoing concerns over coronavirus in Hong Kong, Sotheby’s has relocated its major April Modern and Contemporary sales in the city to New York.   (more…)

The Guardian notes major museum collections are “playing catch up” to build their holdings in Contemporary African Art, as MoMA and the Tate Modern rush to buy works from African artists. “At the Tate the collection was global but they were just missing an entire continent,” says Touria El Glaoui, founder of 1-54. “We know when the Tate gets focused on something it brings more credibility and more gravitas to whichever part of the world they are focusing on.” (more…)

Collector Vincent Fay is suing Princeton University after the institution backed out of a $1 million art sale due to concerns over the authenticity of some works in his collection. “The art will outlive all of us, and it is good to keep it untainted,”says Fay’s attorney John Cahill. “Princeton hasn’t said why the art isn’t authentic.” (more…)

A piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer details alarming allegations against a former Philadelphia Museum of Art retail director, James A. Cincotta, who had several allegations of physical violence against employees leveled against him, but who kept his job for several years following complaints. “That they would allow a known abuser to participate in the museum in any way was very demoralizing and upsetting,” said one employee who also claims Cincotta once slapped him in the face. “It was a clear signal to many people that they did not value workers’ rights.” (more…)

Painter Jack Youngerman, a vital part of New York’s painting scene in the 1950’s, has died at 93. Youngerman’s work during the explosion of Abstract Expressionism say him creating massive blooms of color on canvas working alongside colleagues like Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella. (more…)

A piece in The Stage notes the potentially “devastating” new criteria for artists looking to travel to the UK for work, including artists and touring musicians.  “In our sector, high skill levels do not always equate to high salaries,” reads a statement from the Creative Industries Federation on the decision. “There must be recognition of sector-specific means of assessment including auditions, work experience and portfolios.” (more…)

A rarely seen David Hockney portrait of the artist and his parents has gone on view at London’s National Portrait Gallery.  “They were both started when I was in Paris,” he says of the works. “I wasn’t going to destroy it all these years later. It was, after all, painted from life. And my parents aren’t here now.” (more…)

Northern Italy is facing a mass shutdown of museums as a coronavirus outbreak spreads across the region.  “The government and region will decide tomorrow [the course of action] for the next few days; museums are likely to be closed until 1 March,” says a spokesperson for the museums of Venice.  (more…)

A piece in the LA Times this week looks at LACMA, and the potential debt the museum is facing to pay for its new expansion plans. “My concern,”consultant Rob Hollman says, “is that they will have this unfinished building, or they will finish it, and there will be this big bill to pay.” (more…)

Ingrid Schaffner is the new curator of the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Art News reports. “Donald Judd’s concept for the Chinati Foundation was curatorial: to permanently site works of art within a dynamic of exhibitions, scholarship, artists residencies, and events,” she said in a statement. “It is an honor to build on the curatorial legacy established by Judd.” (more…)

The NYT has further info on the departure of Caroline Baumann from the Cooper Hewitt, as further investigations make her departure increasingly complicated. “I learned nothing I didn’t know, except some more details of the investigators’ cluelessness and shoddiness,” says former trustee and author Kurt Andersen, who resigned from the museum board in protest. “I still find it incomprehensible that the secretary decided these supposed infractions merited termination, and also that he didn’t seek advice from the board about this.” (more…)

After decades of discussion and planning, an institution dedicated to the work of Alexander Calder will open in Philadelphia, with construction beginning next year.  “We don’t know what we’re going to call it, but it’s not a museum,” said Alexander S.C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and the artist’s grandson. “The experience is where the art happens. This will not be a picture on a wall. This will be a place of introspection.”

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Spring/BREAK NY has announced its exhibitor list and a new location for its soon to open fair in New York, setting up shop at 625 Madison Avenue in Manhattan. (more…)

With Art Basel Hong Kong formally cancelled, the fair is turning to online viewing rooms to make up for lost sales and missed opportunities.  “As the art market continues to evolve, Art Basel has continually investigated how new technologies can give us new opportunities to support our galleries,” says global director Marc Spiegler. “The online viewing rooms will provide galleries with a further possibility for engaging with our global audiences, complementing the essential personal interactions that continue to underly the art market.” (more…)

The Drawing Center will offer free admission for the next three years, thanks to a gift from the Cy Twombly Foundation. (more…)

Eyal Weizman, director of Turner prize-nominated group Forensic Architecture, has reportedly been barred from entering the US after being flagged as a security risk.  “In my interview the officer informed me that my authorisation to travel had been revoked because the ‘algorithm’ had identified a security threat,” he said in a statement. “This much we know: we are being electronically monitored for a set of connections – the network of associations, people, places, calls and transactions – that make up our lives. Working in human rights means being in contact with vulnerable communities, activists and experts, and being entrusted with sensitive information. These networks are the lifeline of any investigative work. I am alarmed that relations among our colleagues, stakeholders and staff are being targeted by the US government as security threats.” (more…)

Pace, Gagosian and Acquavella Galleries have won a bid to sell the prized collection of financier Donald B. Marron, beating out the auction houses. The galleries will organize private selling exhibitions in late April. (more…)

The NYT has a piece this week on the increasing focus and emphasis auction houses and dealers are placing on Instagram to sell work. “I often get contacted by collectors about specific objects I’ve shown on Instagram, and then that turns into a different conversation,” says Matt Carey-Williams, the London-based deputy chairman for Europe and Asia at Phillips. (more…)

Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca has tapped Alessandro Bianchi as its general manager. He previously worked at Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in Milan, the Teatro Regio in Turin, and the Fondazione Nazionale per la Danza in Reggio Emilia. (more…)

A piece in the Art Newspaper this week charts a group of African collectors working to keep art on the continent by buying it themselves. “The African creative industry is experiencing a solid renaissance … as a result of the growth in the local auction market, which heightened buyer confidence,” says Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, a Lagos-based art dealer. (more…)

As the UK negotiates its new trade deal with the EU, the Art News notes that a clause inserted in the deal by Greece appears to require the return of the Elgin Marbles. “It is the mentality that has changed, the fact that Britain is distancing itself from the European family, it is 200 years since the Greek revolution,” id Lina Mendoni, the country’s culture minister last month. “I think the right conditions have been created for their permanent return.” (more…)

Architect David Adjaye and artist Cai Guo-Qiang have been named the winners of the 2020 Isamu Noguchi Award.  The award is given to those who “share Noguchi’s spirit of innovation, global consciousness, and commitment to East/West cultural exchange,” according to a statement. (more…)

Arts Council England is threatening to cut funding for organizations failing to meet goals for diversity, The Guardian reports. “The pace of change has been too slow,” says Abid Hussain, ACE’s director of diversity. “Certain communities are significantly under-represented and we need to change that. We need to be very clear: if organizations are not delivering, they could lose their funding.” (more…)