Art News has a piece on President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate the NEA, reflecting back to the presidency of George H.W. Bush, when the organization faced similar threats of defunding, particularly in situations where the government sought to limit funding over exhibitions’ political content.  The piece reflects on a number of contentious shows during the era, including an exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe photos, and an exhibition devoted to the AIDS epidemic. (more…)

The Guardian spotlights Anderson Ranch outside of Aspen, a former sheep farm that has become a major workshop site for artists working in a range of media, counting Tom Sachs and Christo among its recent residents.  “Anderson Ranch is unique because we’re a mix of both education and inspiration,” says executive director Nancy Wilhelms.  “People of all ages and abilities come here and learn new skills or unlock their inner artist, or learn something new about themselves through art.” (more…)

The New Yorker profiles the life and work of Marisa Merz, whose work is the subject of a major retrospective at the Met Breuer, opening this week.  The artist’s long work as the only female members of the Arte Povera, and her ongoing work at the age of 90, is featured alongside her expansive show at the Met. (more…)

A series of plaster sculptures by Alberto Giacometti will be brought together since their first exhibition since their creation in 1956, the Guardian reports, going on view at The Tate Modern this summer.  “This is one of the most ambitious restoration projects that the foundation has undertaken and it is very exciting that they wish to do it for Tate,” says Tate Modern director, Frances Morris. “I have to say it is only for Tate, because despite the restoration the works will in perpetuity be very vulnerable.” (more…)

Jay Gorney and Lisa Cooley have joined Paula Cooper Gallery, bringing an extensive range of experience to the gallery from their respective past ventures.  “For me, Paula Cooper Gallery represents integrity, long-term vision, and connoisseurship, qualities that I wish were in greater abundance in the emerging art market,” Cooley says. (more…)

Anthony Caro, Terminus (2013), via Art Observed

In the early years of his career, Anthony Caro worked on a series of twisting, enigmatic depictions of human and animal figures, works that owed much to the spatial interrogations of Picasso and the broader canon of 20th Century European abstraction.  The works are impressive in their understanding of the gestural and conceptual operations of the era’s avant-garde, but for Caro’s career, served in part as a starting point for his own engagement with space, not only on paper or canvas, but in three dimensions.  This engagement with the dual acts of perception and depiction, sight and operation, takes center stage at Mitchell-Innes & Nash this month, as the late artist’s final sculptures are shown alongside some of his first drawings and paintings, a rare opportunity to appreciate the range of evolution the artist reached during the course of his prolific career.

Anthony Caro, First Drawings Last Sculptures (Installation View), via Art Observed  (more…)

Keith Sonnier, Chila (2016), via Art Observed

Continuing his work with Pace Gallery, Keith Sonnier has brought a series of both new and historical works to the gallery’s uptown exhibition space.  His fourth solo show with Pace, Ebo River and Early Works features a range of works pieces by the artist, tracing his continued use of light as a central medium. Sonnier, who works in Bridgehampton, has worked with neon and industrial materials for more than forty-five years, and brings a selection of his works sharing themes of movement and space to the gallery walls.

Keith Sonnier, Lit Circle Red with Etched Glass (1968), via Art Observed

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Stan VanDerBeek, Movie Mural (1968), via Art Observed

If there’s one distinct argument coming out of the Whitney’s expansive exhibition Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, it’s a reinforcement of the expression “the story’s in the telling.”  Drawing on a wide range of artists and collectives practicing in the late 20th Century and early 21st, the exhibition takes a decidedly narrative bent on increasingly pervasive communication technologies, and the cultural effects that these forms have left both on human interaction at large, and the art world itself.

Hito Steyerl, Factory of the Sun (2015), via Art Observed

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Ken Price, McLean (2004), all photos via Hauser & Wirth

Spanning the range of Ken Price’s career and formal interests in equal measure, Hauser & Wirth London is currently dedicating an expansive show to the American artist, from his early work in California on through a series of cups, vases and abstracted forms that underscore his relentless formal invention.  Shown in conjunction with the artist’s famously comical, graphic watercolor works, the show is an impressively deep survey of Price’s work and process.

Ken Price, Untitled (1986)

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Sotheby’s will lead its London Contemporary sale with a photorealist work by Gerhard Richter, Eisberg, estimated at £8-£12 million.  The work comes from a period shortly after the artist’s divorce from his first wife Emma, and reflects his mindset during this dark period.“What Richter saw reflected in the painting… was his own state of mind…the photographs he took in Greenland were visual analogues for his own failed hopes,” Richter’s biographer, Dietmar Elger, says.  “He was exhausted by the struggle to find his own way as a husband and father, and felt that his dream domestic happiness had, as a consequence, been wrecked.” (more…)

Auctionata Paddle8 has filed for insolvency, with Paddle8 reportedly finding a buyer for its company in New York.  “Auctionata and Paddle8 have redefined the online auction market for art and luxury goods,” says Thomas Hesse, CEO of the joined company. “This procedure will enable both brands and companies to maximize their potential.”  (more…)

Ruba Katrib, curator of SculptureCenter, will join Frieze London as a curatorial advisor this year, working on the fair’s “Focus” section.  “I tend to begin my journey through Frieze London in the Focus section,” she said. “I’m eager to see who’s there and what they’ve brought, knowing that the galleries in Focus can be counted on to bring lesser-known artists, new work, and exciting ideas—they consistently work hard to convey a fresh approach.”  (more…)

The Trump administration has announced plans to cut the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, part of its plan to decrease government spending.  “The Trump Administration needs to reform and cut spending dramatically, and targeting waste like the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities would be a good first step in showing that the Trump Administration is serious about radically reforming the federal budget,” says Brian Darling a former staffer at the Heritage Foundation. (more…)

Philip Guston, Alone (1971), all images via Osman Can Yerebakan for Art Observed

On view at Hauser & Wirth’s temporary 22nd street location, Laughter in the Dark compiles one hundred and eighty pieces created by artist Philip Guston between 1971 and 1975.  Working feverishly at his Woodstock studio in response to the highly contentious, corruption-filled presidency of Richard Nixon, the artist’s work carries exceeding resonance in the post-election landscape of American politics.  Opening just days before Donald Trump took the presidency, the show traces several connections and common threads between Guston’s era and our own, and offers a glimpse at how art and humor may sustain a nation struggling once again with its sense of identity. (more…)

The Guardian spotlights the opening of the Barberini Museum in Potsdam this week, billionaire Hasso Plattner’s pet project including landmark works by Edvard Munch, Claude Monet, and Auguste Renoir, among others.  “I always wanted to make a museum. Berlin is blessed with state and private museums, and now Potsdam can make its presence felt with the Barberini,” Plattner says. (more…)

Brooke Lampley, head of the Impressionist and Modern department at Christie’s, is leaving her position to join Sotheby’s, the Art Market Monitor reports.  She will serve as Vice Chairman for the Fine Art Department next year.  (more…)

Jorge Daniel Veneciano, who took the helm of The Museum of Arts and Design only five months ago, is stepping down to focus on political advocacy.  “Current political events compel me to turn my attention to pressing needs in the cultural sector,” he said.  “I remain a great admirer of the museum of arts and design, and I am confident that it will be in good hands going forward.” (more…)

In an effort to boost tourism in Turkey, the Contemporary Istanbul art fair is moving to coincide with the city’s art biennial this September, the Art Newspaper reports.  “The government is beginning to realise that art and culture are important,” says Ali Güreli, the chairman of Contemporary Istanbul. “We are not asking the government for funding, we are asking for the path to be cleared so it is more accessible to buy and sell art in Istanbul.” (more…)

Charles Long, SendingLadyMotherFrame1 (2016), courtesy the Artist and Tanya Bonakdar

Filling the ground floor exhibition space at Tanya Bonakdar with a series of six small-scale sculptures, artist Charles Long returns to the Chelsea gallery for their eleventh exhibition together.  Drawing delicate exchanges of space and form through Long’s careful selection of elements, the show offers a playful, intuitive exploration of sculptural technique, and the conventions that place these objects on view to the public. (more…)

The new proposals for London’s ongoing Fourth Plinth project have been unveiled, with works including a bizarre arrangement of scaffolding by Damian Ortega, and a massive scoop of ice cream by Heather Phillipson, topped by a hovering drone.  “We love the way the project turns everyone into an art critic,” says Justine Simons, London’s deputy mayor for culture. (more…)

Heidi Weber, one of the earliest supporters and advocates for the work of Le Corbusier, is set to sell a series of the architect’s premier paintings, and is taking the works on a tour of Asia in an effort to court buyers.  Weber currently holds exclusive rights to much of the architects work, and is exploring potential expansions and copies of some of his designs in China as well.   (more…)

A piece in the Art Market Monitor analyzes Richard Prince’s recent disavowal of his Ivanka Trump portrait, noting the legal disputes and problems the action raises.  “The repercussions to the market if artists had the right to impugn the authenticity of their works after the fact would turn the art economy topsy-turvy, destabilizing what many already judge to be a thinly traded, tenuous ecosystem to begin with,” according to Kenny Schacter.   (more…)

Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman’s “For Freedoms” Super PAC will get a residency at MoMA PS1, continuing its exploration of political agency with a “Laboratory for Freedom.”  “We spent last year in the lead-up to the election developing this vehicle we didn’t know we would need,” Gottesman says. “We need it now more than we thought we might. The question is, what do we do with it. (more…)

The NYT profiles LACMA Director Michael Govan’s planned $600 million renovation at the museum, and the efforts he has undertaken to bring the plan to fruition.  “It’s a big project for L.A., and there’s been a little lack of confidence that the money will be raised,” he said. “But I think just getting close to the halfway point, I’ve sensed a change in my trustees and supporters. There’s this strong sense with them that this is likely to happen.” (more…)