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Archive for the 'News' Category

Christian Rattemeyer Named Director of SculptureCenter

Friday, June 28th, 2019

Christian Rattemeyer a longtime associate curator in the department of drawings and prints at the Museum of Modern Art will take over as SculptureCenter’s next director.  (more…)

Rem Koolhaas’s OMA Unveils New Museum Annex Design

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

Rem Koolhaas’s firm OMA has revealed a brand new design for the New Museum annex, which will house additional gallery space and room for other initiatives. “We wanted it to be complementary but not competitive,” Koolhaas says, “to be independently appealing but also make sure the coexistence of these two buildings gives something fresh.” (more…)

Creative Time Appoints Natasha Logan Deputy Director

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

Creative Time has appointed Natasha Logan as its next deputy director. “One priority for me is the Creative Time Summit—considering where this platform and this mechanism for dialogue is most useful and will have the most impact,” she says. (more…)

Protests Over LACMA Expansion Look to Next Steps

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

The LA Times has a piece this week on the continued protests and opposition over LACMA‘s proposed expansion, as groups organized to take further action against the museum.  “The [protest] group members all feel that public input has been discounted and curtailed, and they’re seeking to express the public voice, in the public interest,” says local Richard Schave. (more…)

NYT Looks at Art Fair Initiatives Looking to Reach and Teach Children

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

A piece in the New York Times looks at how some art fairs are making an effort to appeal to children, including events and projects that invite them to take part in pieces and workshops. “Education is incredibly important and part of the ethos of our fair,” says Philip Hewat-Jaboor, chairman of the Masterpiece London Art Fair. “We have a sort of duty to do this, apart from the fact that this is tremendous fun and tremendously exciting to see people of any age group, particularly young ones, get thrilled and interested in something they may not have looked at before.” (more…)

National Gallery Announces Major Philip Guston Retrospective

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

Philip Guston Now, the first retrospective for the artist in over 15 years has been announced by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and will will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston for an opening in October 2020, and then on to Tate Modern in London in February 2021 and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in July 2021. (more…)

SFMoMA Buys 11 Works with Funds from Rothko Sale

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

The $50.1 million sale of Mark Rothko’s Untitled (1960) from the SFMoMA collection at Sotheby’s last month has been used to buy 11 works by 10 artists as part of an initiative to diversify its holdings, with works by Leonora Carrington, Lygia Clark, and Mickalene Thomas, among others.  “This is just the beginning of what we will be able to accomplish with this fund, which allows us to broaden the scope of the stories we are able to tell in our galleries,” says Neal Benezra, director of SFMOMA. (more…)

Hauser & Wirth Now Represents Nicolas Party

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

Hauser & Wirth now represents the work of artist Nicolas Party, the New York– and Brussels-based artist whose colorful paintings and sculptures have commanded attention in past years. “When I found out [Party] was Swiss, I of course paid attention,” said partner Marc Payot. “When you look at Party, there are very strong references to Swiss painting.” (more…)

New Museum Union Stages Action as Contract Negotiations Continue

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

The New Museum workers union staged an action this week around its ongoing contract negotiations, handing out leaflets and buttons outside the museum. “We’re trying to work within the museum’s means and not ask for anything ludicrous,” says Francesca Altamura, a curatorial assistant at the New Museum.  (more…)

Kate Fowle Named New Head of MoMA PS1

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

Kate Fowle, the former chief curator at Moscow’s Garage Museum of  Contemporary Art, will take over leadership of MoMA PS1, filling the space left by Klaus Biesenbach’s departure for MOCA in Los Angeles. “It’s an honor to take the helm of MoMA PS1 at this juncture in its rich history,” Fowle said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the team and board to create a generative environment where our outlook is transformed through artists and their perspectives on the world.” (more…)

Mike Steib Takes Over as CEO of Artsy

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

Mike Steib is taking over as CEO of Artsy, as Carter Cleveland moves into a newly created role as executive chairman, Art News reports.  “He’s always been someone I’ve really admired, and I’ve been very inspired by what he’s achieved,” Cleveland says“When I look at the specifics of how he did it, I couldn’t imagine a better fit.” (more…)

Unesco will not Review Notre Dame Case at Next Meeting

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

Unesco’s World Heritage Committee will not review the issues around Notre Dame’s fire in an upcoming meeting after France failed to turn in a report on the damage on time.  “The restoration works must be in conformity with the provisions of the World Heritage Convention,” a draft statement from Unesco reads. (more…)

NY Judge Rules Rybolovlev Suit Against Sotheby’s Can Proceed

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

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…)

Painting Believed to be Lost Caravaggio Scooped Up Two Days Before Auction

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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 Calls for Tax Increases on Wealthy

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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…)

Arts Council England Aims to Limit Carbon Emissions

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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 Museums Seek Dismissal in €200m Guelph Treasure CAse

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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…)

Tehran Art Fair Opens Despite Sanctions

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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…)

Forbes Charts How Radiocarbon Dating Can be Used to Stop Forgery

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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 Launches New Site, “Magazine”

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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

Popular Mechanics Charts Challenges to Time-Based Media Conservation

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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 Appoints Lucas Zwirner Head of Online Content

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

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…)

Van Gogh ‘Sunflowers’ Featured in NYT

Monday, June 24th, 2019

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…)

Michelle Obama Portraitist Amy Sherald Unveils Mural in Philadelphia

Monday, June 24th, 2019

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…)