Barcelona’s city council has rejected a planning application for a branch of the State Hermitage Museum in the city. “A few years ago, the Hermitage was asked to create a satellite centre in Barcelona, similar to the Hermitage Amsterdam, Hermitage Kazan and Hermitage Italy,” says Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Russian museum’s director. “Agreements were signed with the government of Catalonia and the city of Barcelona. The Hermitage had no further contacts with the Barcelona authorities and has none to this day. The Hermitage is ready to show its collections and share its experience of museum work around the world, but never forces it on anyone and is used to being treated politely.” (more…)

A Midtown lobby designed by Isamu Noguchi is under threat as developers make plans to disassemble the work for planned renovations. “The most significant part of the original ensemble has survived, and it’s landmark worthy,” says John Morris Dixon, a board member of the New York/Tri-State chapter of Docomomo “You already have this strong, creative treatment of the walls and the ceiling and you can’t expect to come up with something nearly as artistically effective again. Why risk it when you’ve got it already? The lobby is a great asset that gives a high degree of individuality to the building.” (more…)

Hank Willis Thomas, “People just like to look at me” (Spectrum IX) (variation without flash) (2019), via Kayne Griffin Corcoran

Currently on at LA heavyweight Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Hank Willis Thomas marks his first solo exhibition with the space with An All Colored Cast, an exploration of color theory, popular culture, the development of Pop Art, Color Field painting, Minimalism, and the Hollywood film industry. In this new body of work, Thomas examines the portrayals of gender, race, and identity through the lens of film, performance, and color motion pictures.

Hank Willis Thomas, “People just like to look at me” (Spectrum IX) (variation with flash) (2019), via Kayne Griffin Corcoran

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The Armory Show has issued a statement on the threat of the coronavirus to its run next week.   “At a time of great global concern and uncertainty, the Armory Show is closely monitoring the evolving situation with the coronavirus,” it reads. “Our hearts go out to those directly affected. As the safety of our exhibitors and guests remains a top priority, we will continue to consult with experts in the field and pursue best practices in safeguarding The Armory Show 2020 edition.” (more…)

The Ahmanson Foundation, a long-running supporter of LACMA, has announced it will no longer donate works to the museum.  “We’ve been unable to get a commitment from Michael Govan about presenting the collection as it has been throughout the life of the museum,” says foundation President William Ahmanson. “Our greatest concern is that the public has access to the art we’ve provided throughout LACMA’s history.” (more…)

Art Basel has announced the exhibitor list for the 2020 edition of its annual fair, with a list of 288 galleries participating. (more…)

Rashid Johnson’s Native Son was awarded an NAACP Image Award last night for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television).   (more…)

Independent NY is partnering with Crozier fine arts to offer discounted shipping for LA Galleries participating in next week’s fair, Art News reports. “One of the hardest parts about being a gallerist is looking after things you haven’t sold and getting them back cost efficiently,” says Tom Hale, Crozier’s senior vice president and general manager for North America. “It takes so much energy to erect these art fairs.” (more…)

David Shrigley, Distractions (2018), via Stephen Friedman

As the winter months drags slowly to its conclusion, and the weather shifts into more temperate conditions, New York City will once again step into its role as a central hub of the contemporary art market, and the global art fair circuit, kicking off its string of fairs across the city.  Centering around the annual Armory Show Art Fair on the West Side, the week serves as one of the more important selling weeks of the first half of 2020. (more…)

David Hockney muse Celia Birtwell gets a interview in The Guardian this week, as she reflects on her time sitting for the artist. “Life changes, doesn’t it? My brain, thinking about doing such a thing now, well, it’s inconceivable!” she muses. (more…)

Sales of works from the Stephen Marron collection have already started, with casino magnate Steve Wynn buying up two Picasso works for about $105 million from the estate. (more…)

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…)

Amy Sillman, The Shape of Shape (Installation View), all images via MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art announces a new installment of its Artist’s Choice series: The Shape of Shape by Amy Sillman. In this series, facilitated by the museum’s expanded gallery renovations, a contemporary artist organizes an installation drawn from the Museum’s collection. Recent participants include Peter Fischli (2018), David Hammons (2017), Trisha Donnelly (2012) and the architects Herzog & de Meuron (2006). For this new installment, the New York painter has collaborated with The Marlene Hess Curator Michelle Kuo and the Curatorial Assistant from the Department of Painting and Sculpture, Jenny Harris to present a packed install with a range of works in exchange with her own compositions.

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JR, The Chronicles of New York City (2019) all images via Brooklyn Museum

Currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum, artist JR inaugurates his first solo museum exhibition and first major North American exhibition, taking over the Main Hall of the museum with a show that traces the French artist’s artistic evolution, which began in the Parisian banlieue. His early photographic projects, such as Expo 2 Rue (2001-2004) and Portrait of a Generation (2004-2006), marked his start as a storyteller of his community, picturing graffiti artists and young people from the housing projects in the French capital. Giving voice to the marginalized, JR projects have always been collaborative ventures, involving the participants by allowing them to choose how they would like to be represented, both as individuals and as a group presented to the rest of the world. His works, often ephemeral art installation in public places, channel social change and inequalities and make him a true guerrilla street artist.

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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…)

Madeline Hollander, Heads/Tails: Walker & Broadway 1 (2020), all images via Bortolami

Marking her first exhibition with Bortolami Gallery in New York, artist Madeline Hollander presents an ambitious and enigmatic new installation at the gallery’s small-scale space at 55 Walker in Tribeca, titled Heads/Tails. Primarily known for her work in choreography, performance and dance, Hollander’s work here is her first major solo exhibition without human actors. The installation consists of hundreds of used automobile headlights and taillights, drawing on local contexts and systemic interventions to turn Hollander’s interest in both human agency and technological networks, and the feedback systems that dictate and reshape the behavior of both. (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…)