Shell has dropped its support of London’s Southbank Centre, Art Newspaper reports, as pressure over the fossil fuel company’s support of institutions continues to mount.  “Until it commits to leaving fossil fuels in the ground this decade, Shell will be standing in the way of zero carbon transition we urgently need and should not be welcomed into our arts institutions,” says Chris Garrard, the director of the protest group Culture Unstained. (more…)

Trevor Paglen has joined Pace Gallery, working with the artist’s other galleries to create a global network for his work.  “We are thrilled to announce our representation of Trevor,” says Simon Preston, Senior Director at Pace. “Trevor’s complex research-driven work will expand the vocabulary of the artists represented by the gallery and have the potential to create many exciting dialogues with existing and future artists of the program.” (more…)

A piece in Art News looks at the Tate’s recent declaration of a climate emergency, and how it allows the museum to respond. “Large public buildings, attracting millions of visitors from the U.K. and overseas, require energy,” reads a statement. “We see caring for and sharing a national art collection as a public good, but it also consumes resources. . . . That’s why we pledge to make our long-term commitment ambitious in scope. We will interrogate our systems, our values, and our programs, and look for ways to become more adaptive and responsible.” (more…)

Hikaru Fujii and Chikako Yamashiro have won the second Tokyo Contemporary Art Award, a $30,000 prize that also includes an exhibition of the artists’ work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2022. (more…)

Sotheby’s auction of work from the estates of Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz has resulted in a $17.2 million result, easily topping its $13.3 million estimate. The sale featured a range of paintings and photos as well as personal items and clothing. (more…)

The Art News has a piece this week featuring Julian Schnabel and Laurie Anderson in conversation about their early days in New York, their work, and Lou Reed. “He had insight into all sorts of things, and he had a lot of heart,” Schnabel says. “Berlin, the record he made in 1973, was one of my favorite records ever—it was like the soundtrack to my life for a long while. The sadness in it just filled me up and made me feel like, If I’m going crazy, it’s OK—he survived.”  (more…)

Sinead O’Dwyer, In Myself (Installation View), via Waves and Archives

Currently on view at New York’s Waves and Archives, artist Sinead O’Dwyer presents a selection of new works, returning to her nuanced silicone works alongside work created for an upcoming performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  The exhibition, which marks the artist’s first in New York, makes for an engaging entry in her body of work, and look at her intricate incorporation of human bodies and synthetic materials. (more…)

The New Yorker has a piece this week on Georgia O’Keefe’s expansive file of recipes.  “Food served in the O’Keeffe household was always nutritious, tasty, and simply but beautifully presented,” says writer Margaret Wood, who worked as O’Keefe’s assistant and regularly prepared her meals. (more…)

A piece in Dezeen charts additional issue at Cooper Hewitt beyond its recent leadership shakeup. “Design is central to how we are going to make our world better,” says architect Aaron Betsky. “The various disciplines that make it up are changing rapidly, but they are doing so based on accumulated knowledge, skill, and beauty that we need to see and understand more fully. We need the Cooper Hewitt to become that institution.” (more…)

A piece in the NYT showcases growing interest in Iranian contemporary art, as tensions escalate with the country itself. “Iranian art collecting was an exclusively Iranian affair among Iranians,” until recently, says collector Mohammed Afkhami.  “We are still in the early stages of that diversification away from purely Iranian patronage,” he added. (more…)

Art Newspaper has a piece charting Sotheby’s recent emphasis on its private sales department.  “We have probably spent 250 of our 275 years pretending it didn’t exist,” says David Schrader, Sotheby’s head of private sales. “But it’s a really important service which we don’t think is cannibalistic to the legacy business, it’s quite complimentary.” (more…)

Michael A. Robinson, all images by Elisa Etrari for Art Observed

As The Armory Show returns to the Piers on the West Side of Manhattan, so too comes the annual opening of the SPRING/BREAK Art Show, the adventurous, curator-driven program that takes up space at a pop-up location for a week of compelling and unique exhibitions and projects.  (more…)

Francis Bacon’s 1981 Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus will head to Sotheby’s this May, estimated at $60 million.  The work comes form the collection of Hans Rasmus Astrup, a Norwegian business tycoon who is selling the piece to benefit the consignor’s family foundation. (more…)

The NYT reports live from TEFAF, noting a significant drop in attendance at the fair caused by coronavirus concerns. “Normally I’m on a plane with 10 collectors from Milan,” says gallerist Maurizio Rigillo. “This year I was on my own.” (more…)

Lisson Gallery will grow its footprint in New York this spring, taking over the space adjacent to its home at 504 West 24th Street.  “This new space offers more diversity in our programming as it is smaller and more intimate than the open warehouse structure of 504,” says NY gallery head Alex Logsdail. (more…)

In an unexpected shakeup, the Armory Show has moved its date and season for next year, running September 9th – 12th at the Javits Center downtown.  “September is a great time of year to be in New York City, and we are eager to align with gallery openings to kick off the fall season,” says Nicole Berry, the fair’s executive director.  “We hope everyone will mark their calendars.” (more…)

New York museums are accelerating preparations for coronavirus as institutions shutter around the globe. “The health of our staff and visitors is of paramount importance to the Guggenheim,” a spokeswoman for the museum says. “All non-essential museum travel has been suspended or postponed. We are also discussing plans to enable working at home here appropriate in the event of a closure.” (more…)

An unpublished Albrecht Dürer drawing has been reportedly discovered, and will go on sale in London. The work comes from an unidentified American collection, which some speculate is that of the family of the architect Jean-Paul Carlhian. (more…)

Catherine Opie is interviewed in the LA Times this week, as she gives a preview of a new body of work focusing on the swamps of Florida. “There is a lot of life in those swamps,” she says. “At first, I thought I’d go in at night with a flash, then I realized how many alligators there were.” (more…)

Bianca Beck at Rachel Uffner, all images via Art Observed

Kicking off the 11th year of operation, Independent NY has once again touched down at Spring Studios in Tribeca, once again opening the doors on its take on the presentation of an art fair.  Smaller in scale and more focused in terms of its gallery selections, the fair’s presentation feels more like a presentation of a series of small gallery shows run side-by-side, with ample space and a mellow browsing experience that draws strength from the fair’s invite-only exhibitor structure and immense glass windows, underscoring its reputation as a boutique event with impressive draw.

Clementine Keith-Roach at P•P•O•W

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The Venice Architecture Biennale will be postponed until August. “The new dates have been established as a consequence of the recent precautionary measures in the matter of mobility taken by the governments of a growing number of countries around the world, which will have a domino effect on the movement of people and works in coming weeks,” reads an official statement. (more…)

The global art market dipped by 5% this year, according to the annual report by UBS and Art Basel, but private sales continued to grow. “It was a tricky year, but not disastrous,” says publisher Clare McAndrew. (more…)

The Musée D’Orsay will be expanding its capabilities for exhibition thanks to a $23 million donation. “This goes beyond the question of the display of the collection. We also want to fulfill our mission in a more modern and complete way,” says museum president Laurence des Cars. “Visitors are no longer just expecting a museum to display works of art, but to offer a complete experience.” (more…)

Austin Lee at Jeffrey Deitch, all images via Art Observed

Considered among New York’s premier art fairs, and a leading cultural destination for discovering and collecting the world’s most important 20th- and 21st-century art, The Armory Show has long figured at the forefront of the city’s annual spring offerings for art exhibitions and shows.  With its first day of sales in the bag, the fair is once again showing why its impact and stature cannot be ignored. (more…)