Raymond Pettibon gets an interview in GQ this week, where he retraces his favorite baseball jerseys, discusses his time in Los Angeles. “Well I haven’t really been in LA for so long,” he says “It’s been ten years, maybe with a few trips in between, places like Bunker Hill are non existent anymore, or places like MacArthur Park have a different feel…so much has changed, at least this is what I‘ve heard.” (more…)

Claude Monet, Le Palais Ducal (1908), via Sotheby’s

With the month of February drawing to a close, the major auction houses are gearing up for their first real test of the year, with a string of auctions set to take place over the course of the following weeks in London.  Marking major sales for both the Impressionist/Modern and Post-War/Contemporary categories, the next two weeks should offer some perspective on how the secondary market is faring in relation to what seems to be an energetic but slightly smaller fair circuit. (more…)

Ghana will participate for the first time this year in the Venice Biennale, opening a national pavilion featuring an impressive lineup of artists including John Akomfrah, El Anatsui, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, among others.  “This is a historic moment for us in Ghana,” Catherine Afeku head of the nation’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “Arts and culture are the very soul of a nation, and with our maiden entry to the Venice Biennale, under the leadership of His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, I can say, we have arrived.” (more…)

The Armory Show will relocate a number of galleries to Pier 90 next month, after an inspection determined that Pier 92 was no longer safe.  “Following a routine inspection, we discovered structural issues at Pier 92,” says corporation spokesman Christopher Singleton. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to relocate any activity to Pier 90 while we conduct further analysis at the site.” (more…)

Following her sentencing for tax evasion, Mary Boone has announced she will close her gallery, Art News reports.  “I had 49 wonderful years in art,” she says. “If I’m going to be the Martha Stewart of the art world, I would hope to do it with the same humility, humor, grace, and intelligence that she did. I’m trying to be optimistic and see this as a learning experience.” (more…)

The full collection of sculpture in the holdings of the British Nation will be catalogued online, the Guardian reports. “The variety, the range, is just stunning and what is extraordinary is that it is going to be so much more global,” says Andrew Ellis, director of Art UK, the non-profit in charge of the project. “Paintings are predominantly a western European tradition but the sculpture collection we are bringing together is from across the world, and you can see that already. There are Buddhas, there are Hindu reliefs in Northampton from the 12th century and that is just the first thousand records.” (more…)

The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg was evacuated on Thursday, February 21 due to a bomb threat, Artforum reports. A number of other institutions in the city received similar threats the same day. (more…)

A new report from SMU DataArts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas notes a drop in large institutions’ non-profit arts funding in recent years, Art News reports.  “With art museums you see a pretty sober picture,” says Zannie Voss, director of SMU DataArts. “If you look at size, small- and medium-size organizations saw an increase in returns on fund-raising over time. It was the large organizations that saw a decrease. What it says is that it’s the large institutions that are encountering the most struggle in this area.” (more…)

The Met has received a gift of ten 17th and 18th century works from Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia from Sao Paolo-based collector James Kung Wei Li. “These are outstanding examples of colonial-era Andean painting, and this gift is truly a turning point in our efforts to expand our holdings of Latin American art,” says director Max Hollein. (more…)

Ella Kruglyanskaya, Doll on Lilac Background (2018), via Art Observed

Latvian-born painter Ella Kruglyanskaya brings her stylized depictions of female figures to New York this month, presenting a show of new paintings at Gavin Brown’s spacious Harlem gallery space. The show, dwelling on her restlessly inventive and stylistically diverse body of work, has installed the artist’s range of portraits and scenes depicting women’s bodies and social contexts through a range of varied lenses. (more…)

NYC Art dealer Todd von Ammon, formerly of Team Gallery, is relocating to Washington, D.C., Art News reports. “It’s my belief that openings of galleries often garner too much fanfare and the closings of galleries garner too much shame,” he says of the venture. “It’s a very unforgiving business model, and I think one that could be much more flexible than it currently appears.” (more…)

Collector and Felix co-founder Dean Valentine is profiled in the NYT this week, reflecting on his successful fair and his own collecting habits. “I learned a lot of what I know about art from hanging out with dealers in the mid-90s and asking them, ‘Why is this any good?’” the former president of Walt Disney Television and CEO of UPN said. (more…)

Swiss bank UBS has been fined €3.7 billion over alleged assistance in tax evasion for wealthy clients. The bank has been a partner with Art Basel since 1994. “Art Basel has a long-term partnership with UBS and continues working with UBS as its global lead partner,” a spokesperson said. (more…)

The New Art Dealers Alliance has added seventeen new galleries to its ranks, among them Mitchell Algus Gallery and 321 Gallery.  “Each of our new members exemplify NADA’s mission, and are great additions to our growing community,” says director Heather Hubbs. (more…)

MoMA PS1‘s M. Wells Dinette has announced its closure, to be replaced with a new venture by chef Mina Stone.  Stone is already a well-known name in the art world, regularly preparing meals for Urs Fischer’s studio. “I sit down, and like seeing a good work of art, I cannot do anything but enjoy it,” Fischer says of her food. “At times, her meals are true masterpieces! It’s like eating your favorite work of art. Shortly after, it’s all gone. Like a mirage.” (more…)

Artist Ai Weiwei has had his contribution to the film Berlin, I Love You, pulled after concerns over distribution in China. “It was infuriating to find our involvement had been erased,” Ai said on Deutsche Welle television. “The reason we were given for the episode’s removal was that my political status had made it difficult for the production team to secure further funding.” (more…)

The New York Times has a piece on the increasingly real possibility that Britain leave the EU without a deal, noting in particular the challenges it poses for London’s arts scene.  “If there is no deal, it means all shipments between Britain and the E.U. will be subject to customs clearance,” says Victor Khureya, executive operations director at Gander & White, a specialist fine-art shipping company, based in London. (more…)

Carla Pellegrini, the director of Italy’s Galleria Milano and a formative voice in the development of post-war Italian art, has passed away, Artforum reports. Pellegrini was one of the first to bring artists like George Baselitz, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, and more to the country, and continued to support young artists up until her death.  (more…)

The European Parliament has asked the European Commission to tighten its framework on cross-border restitutions for looted art and cultural goods. “The first priority is to get some attention focused on the topic, then to map areas where progress could be achieved at the European Union level,” says representative Pavel Svoboda. (more…)

Artist Roberto Cuoghi is now represented by Hauser & Wirth gallery. “Cuoghi is already a legend among serious collectors and among his peers, and now our objective is to engage the widest possible audience in his ideas and work,” says partner Marc Payot. “While it’s impossible to draw direct parallels between Cuoghi and other artists, his attitude of full immersion and total commitment to his work resonate with many other artists in our program.” (more…)

The Armory Show has announced its list of talks and programs for its Live section, set to open with the fair on March 7th. The program has targeted a number of hot button issues in modern America, including identity, politics and feminism.  (more…)

Stephanie Gabriel, previously a partner at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, will take over as director of Marianne Boesky Art News reports.  “Stephanie brings with her an incredible record of gallery leadership and wide range of long-standing relationships with artists and curators that will prove invaluable to our growing operations,” Boesky said in a statement.” (more…)

Jasper Johns gets a NYT profile this week, as he embarks on several busy months, leading up to a maj0r retrospective of his work at The Whitney.   The expansive piece charts the artist’s life and work, and his encounters in the post-war art scene in New York.  (more…)

The Louvre is aiming to request a loan for Salvator Mundi, the Da Vinci work sold for $450 million in 2017, for a major retrospective on the artist’s work. “I confirm the Musée du Louvre has asked for the loan of the Salvator Mundi for its October exhibition and truly wishes to exhibit the artwork,” a spokeswoman for the Louvre says. (more…)