A painting believed to be a Gustav Klimt stolen 23 years ago has been discovered in the wall of the Ricci Oddi gallery where it had previously been on display.   “It is very strange, because, immediately after the theft, every single inch of the gallery and garden was checked with a fine-tooth comb,” says Jonathan Papamerenghi, a member of the Piacenza council. “The strangest thing is that the painting is in excellent condition. It does not seem like it has been locked under a trapdoor for 22 years.” (more…)

Bloomberg is throwing its weight behind the Save Venice foundation, fielding donations to help combat the effects of climate change on the lagoon city. “We’re worrying about the foundations of the buildings, as well as the stonework,” says Melissa Conn of Save Venice. (more…)

Sotheby’s has reordered its auction house around two divisions, Fine Arts and Luxury, Art and Objects, with Amy Cappellazzo taking on an expanded role as head of the Fine Arts division. The strategy will look to “reduce the current silos that exists between fine arts, business development and regional organizations,” according to a statement. (more…)

Art News has published the 30th edition of its Top 200 Collectors List, with a number of familiar faces and new names included. (more…)

Friedrich Petzel gets a profile in Art News, as he discusses his vision for his gallery and business model. “My imagination does not allow for 80, 90, 100 artists,” he says. “I think there’s a certain expectation of precision from people who enter the gallery.” (more…)

Rebecca Salter has been elected as new president of the Royal Academy of Arts. “A great day for the Royal Academy as Rebecca Salter is elected the first woman to be president since its founding in 1768,” says artist and academician Cathie Pilkington. (more…)

The Art Berlin fair has been scrapped, Art Newspaper reports. “We regret this step very much,” says Gerald Böse, the managing director of Koelnmesse. “But at the moment we don’t see the conditions necessary to achieve our visions in producing this event.” (more…)

A British court has ruled that Sotheby’s is due repayment for a disputed Frans Hals work, which originally sold for $10.8 million before being declared a fake.  “We were glad to see our position completely vindicated by the court,” a representative for Sotheby’s says.  (more…)

Artist David Datuna, who ate Maurizio Cattelan’s banana at Art Basel Miami Beach. “Warhol put banana on a canvas,” he says. “Cattelan takes a real banana and puts it on the wall. David took banana from the wall and ate it!” (more…)

Art News interviews curator Francesco Bonami about his experiences at Art Fairs.  “People go to art fairs to meet people, then to look at art, but often people don’t want to meet you and sometimes they don’t want even to look at art,” he says. “You also learn a different language where ‘very good’ means good, ‘good’ means ok, and ‘ok’ means ‘it’s a disaster, I have not sold anything.'” (more…)

A piece in Art News notes that the Elgin Marbles have suffered damage due to pollution over the years, after the study of a series of casts has uncovered evidence of what the statues looked like during the 1800’s.  “Elgin’s casts could be important records of the state of the sculptures in the very early 19th-century before modern pollution would hasten their deterioration,” says researcher Emma Payne. (more…)

Catherine Opie will be the first endowed chair in the art department of UCLA, LA Times reports.  “This allows my area to grow,” Opie said. “The Resnicks have been really generous, not only to the university as a whole — but I’ve really appreciated what they’ve done for the department.” (more…)

Bettina Korek of Frieze LA will take over as new head of the Serpentine Galleries.  “Some of the most compelling qualities of LA as a city are embodied by the Serpentine as an institution: intrepid innovation, fluidity across disciplines, an irrepressible preoccupation with the future. I am honoured to share the responsibility of leading the Serpentine into its 50th year and to continue to cultivate creative and philanthropic synergy between London, the US and the rest of the world,” she said in a statement. (more…)

A piece in Bloomberg traces the ongoing dispute between dealer Inigo Philbrick and the mysterious Guzzini Properties LTD.m uncovering that the company is owned by David and Simon Reuben.  “My clients are philanthropic collectors, who, unfortunately, must now litigate to secure their rightful title to artworks after their good-faith, arm’s-length purchases,” says lawyer Wendy Lindstrom. (more…)

Heidi Bucher, Untitled (c. 1954) Photographed by Enrico FIorese.

With the Venice Biennale recently closing, only a few exhibitions remain on view in the city. Fortunately, for those who choose to visit this month, there is an exhibition at ALMA ZEVI featuring works by Heidi Bucher. Entitled Sublime Geometry, the show offers moments for discovery just as Venice harbors a wintry magic: in the quiet, crepuscular afternoon hours you arrive to this tucked away gallery space to find walls glowing with mother of pearl pigment.

Born in the Swiss town of Winterthur, Bucher studied textile design under Max Bill at the School of Applied Art in Zurich where she made silk collages that are enchanting for their varying degrees of precision and inexactitude. One work hangs in a corner of the gallery and invites closer inspection; illuminated from certain angles, it gives off a subtle luster redolent of a Vija Celmins Night Sky.

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After sharing this year’s Turner Prize, Lawrence Abu Hamdan has won the 2019 Edvard Munch Art Award, which includes a residency and $50,000. A statement by the Munchmuseet noted the institution “values the artist’s commitment to human rights and his capacity to address urgent political subjects through his art.” (more…)

Maurizio Cattelan much talked about banana work was removed from the Galerie Perrotin booth at Art Basel Miami Beach this weekend after crowds gathering to see the work became too large. “Art Basel collaboratively worked with us to station guards and create uniform lines,” reads a gallery statement. “However, the installation caused several uncontrollable crowd movements and the placement of the work on our booth compromised the safety of the artwork around us, including that of our neighbors.” (more…)

The teenager who threw a young boy from the balcony of the Tate Modern has admitted to attempted murder, and will be sentenced early next year, after saying the act was intended to silence those who said he was not mentally ill. “I wanted to be on the news, who I am and why I did it, so when it is official no-one can say anything else,” he said. (more…)

Art Basel is offering support to dealers exhibiting in its Hong Kong fair this coming year, with a 5% to 10% discount on stand fixtures such as walls, flooring and lighting, which some speculate is an attempt to lure uneasy galleries in the wake of the protests in Hong Kong. “The $200,000 cost of doing Art Basel in Hong Kong is the difference between a small or mid-tier gallery going under. We are prepared to take the risk but we would like that properly acknowledged,” said one anonymous dealer. (more…)

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles will voluntarily recognize its employee union, the LA Times Reports.  “This is a smart move,” says Lylwyn Esangga, organizing director at AFSCME’s District Council 36. “At the end of the day the workers want a voice and a seat at the table…. It shows a willingness to recognize that seat at the table. This is unique in that many employers will go through an election or do an anti-union campaign.” (more…)

Financier, philanthropist and collector Donald B. Marron, who sat on the board of MoMA and helped pioneer the UBS Collection of art, a major corporate collection, has passed away at 85. (more…)

Raque Ford at Martos Gallery, via Art Observed

Art Week Miami is underway, and the city itself seems to have slowly built its own counterpoint to the sprawling complex of fairs across Biscayne Bay at the Miami Beach Convention Center.  While Miami Beach continues to draw massive crowds of both buyers and visitors, its luxe appointments have long found a compelling counterpoint at NADA Miami, set up inside the Ice Palace Film Studios, where the focus is on showcasing new art and to celebrating the rising talents from around the globe. Exploring new or underexposed art that is not typical of the “art establishment,” by their words, NADA Miami is also the one of the only major American art fairs to be produced by a non-profit organization, and is recognized as a much needed alternative assembly of the world’s youngest and strongest art galleries dealing with emerging contemporary art.

Anneke Russden at Galerie Tatjana Peters, via Art Observed

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A piece in the Smithsonian this week looks at the recent trove of Marcel Duchamp works given to the Hirshhorn Museum.  “This is a real milestone in our museum’s history,” says museum director Melissa Chiu. “This is in fact the most important donation by individual collectors since our founding gift from Mr. Hirshhorn which founded our museum in 1974.” (more…)

A piece in GQ this week looks at the outsize impact of Berlin’s art scene on the look and popularity of Balenciaga in the broader art world.  “There’s so much crossover that it feels like the art world and Balenciaga are a part of the same conversation,” says Carly Busta of New Models. (more…)