Helen Marten, Brood and Bitter Pass (2016), via Art Observed

Helen Marten, the Macclesfield-born, London-based sculptor known for her disjointed, endlessly inventive configurations of materials, has taken home the 2016 Turner Prize, the second major award that the artist has won in the past month.  Marten, who takes home a£25,000 purse for the award, was selected from a pool of artists including Anthea Hamilton, Michael Dean, and Josephine Pryde.

Helen Marten, via W Magazine

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The UK will not lose A-Level Art History, following a major public outcry, the Art Newspaper reports.  “The response from the public, from teachers and from young people shows many people have a real passion for these subjects,” says Rod Bristow, the president of the Pearson exam board, which is making the program part of their exam offerings.  “We’re happy to help make sure they remain available.” (more…)

The LA Times reports that Steven Mnuchin, son of gallerist Robert Mnuchin and newly appointed Secretary of Treasury, has announced that he is stepping down from MOCA’s Board of Trustees.  “Since I’ll be focusing my full-time efforts as nominee for Secretary of Treasury, I’ve decided to resign from MOCA’s Board of Trustees,” he said. “I have very much enjoyed my seven years on the Board at MOCA, one of the country’s most important contemporary art institutions.”  (more…)

Sotheby’s has purchased Orion Analytical, an anti-forgery firm run by James Martin, as part of a new Scientific Research Department at the auction house, continuing recent efforts to build an advisory firm inside the company.  “Sotheby’s has had the pleasure of working with Jamie for the better part of the past two decades, and over time it became increasingly clear that rather than work on a one-off basis we could create something unique within Sotheby’s that would further distinguish us in the marketplace and at the same time help to make the art market a safer place,” CEO Tad Smith says. (more…)

The New York Times reports on a lawsuit between a group of New York dealers and Sotheby’s stemming, from Yves Bouvier’s sale of a Da Vinci painting to Dmitriy Rybolovlev at over $120 million.  The dealers reportedly sold Bouvier the work at $80 million shortly before the Swiss dealer turned around and resold the work to Rybolovlev at a substantial markup, and are suing the auction house for misleading them over the work’s value.  “Apparently experiencing seller’s remorse, [the dealers] are trying to gain the benefit of a subsequent sale price that Sotheby’s had nothing to do with,” a lawyer for the auction house said. (more…)

The Artist Pension Trust has merged with MutualArt.com, with plans to use their shared resources to create a new sales platform for art.  “There are innate characteristics to art and its market that mean that, for the foreseeable future, the majority of sales will happen offline,” says Al Brenner, chief executive of the merged MutualArt Group. (more…)

Art News reports on the increasing pressure on mid-size galleries, as the large-scale exhibition spaces and rising real estate prices increasingly push smaller spaces and dealers out of the field.  “The conglomerate gallery model—there’s no doubt it’s going to annihilate a lot of mom and pops,” James Fuentes says. “That’s just the reality of it.” (more…)

Curator Mark Beasley will join the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., as the museum’s first curator of media and performance art.  “Mark Beasley is one of the few experts of his kind, and as one of the leading curators of our time, his work has helped to shape this field over the past 15 years,” Melissa Chiu said. (more…)

Marina Abramovic is featured in the Financial Times’s ‘Lunch with the FT’ this week, dining with Jan Dalley while discussing her life and work.  “Now that I’m nearly 70 — 70!” she says, “I just want to be hilarious. Tell jokes. In my country, jokes are always about survival. Heavy.” (more…)

MoMA is set to open an exhibition celebrating the East Village’s Club 57, an alternative space frequented by Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among others, next October, the Art Newspaper reports.  The show will be co-curated by actress and artist Ann Magnuson, who was a mainstay at the club.   (more…)

An article in the Wall Street Journal analyzes the broader health of the art market this week, and looks towards 2017 as auction houses aim to continue sales growth.  The piece looks at current sales, and compares the results at Sotheby’s and Christie’s to regional competitors like Beijing Poly International. (more…)

John Baldessari is interviewed in The Verge this week, discussing his design for the new BMW Art Car, which debuted this week at Art Basel Miami Beach.  “I’ve never designed anything three-dimensional,” he says. “Working on it from all different directions, I was happy with how it came out.” (more…)

Developer Jorge M. Pérez has announced a $10 million gift to the Perez Art Museum, including a high concentration of Cuban artworks.  “I think if one place should have a strong Cuban collection, it should be Miami,” he said. (more…)

The Guardian reports on the outrage over the closure of the New Art Gallery Walsallfaces after large cuts in government funding.  “The gallery’s closure would be a devastating blow to the life of the community and send a signal that the authorities have no regard for the value of the arts to those very communities,” reads an open letter from artists and curators including Hans Ulrich Obrist. (more…)

The FT profiles banker Igor Tsukanov, who is working to build a world-class collection of post-war Russian art.  “It’s definitely not investment-driven for me. It’s like a challenge,” he says of his collection efforts. (more…)

Lawmakers in Helsinki have voted down another proposal to pledge $183 million towards the construction of the new Guggenheim expansion in the country, marking the second time a vote has derailed the construction.  “The main objections to the project presented by Council members included the project’s excessive cost for the Finnish taxpayer; inadequate private funding; and the proposed site, which was considered too valuable for the project,” the Helsinki Council communications department said in a statement. (more…)

Denise Kupferschmidt at Halsey McKay, via Art Observed

Walking through the doors of the Deauville Hotel and Resort, a sense of familiarity is in the air, with NADA Miami Beach returning to its old stomping grounds in North Beach.  Maintaining the same familial atmosphere and adventurous spirit that keeps the fair among the more popular of the week, this year’s edition (its 14th total) is particularly strong, with a renewed focus on painting alongside a series of more striking projects and pieces. (more…)

Art Basel Miami Beach, via Art Observed

After a first evening of parties in both Miami proper and Miami Beach, the main event of Miami Art Week, Art Basel Miami Beach, has opened its doors at the Miami Beach Convention Center, bringing with it another round of special projects, talks, and other installations alongside the more traditional booths.  The 15th edition of the fair, which draws 269 galleries from a total of 29 countries from around the globe, was clearly feeling some tightness from a slower market, with shorter lines for the VIP Preview today, and less of a rush towards premiere works, but strong sales seemed to continue throughout the day, revealing a buyer pool that seems more invested than feverish.

Toiletpaper for Fondation Beyeler, via Art Observed

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Untitled Art Fair, via Art Observed

Spread across the sandy vistas just off Miami Beach’s iconic Ocean Drive, Untitled Art Fair opened its doors this week for the 5th annual edition of its fair during Miami Art Week. Recognized for a curator-first mentality and a focused, yet exploratory tone, the fair’s early hours offered a striking first look at the caliber and diversity of works on view in Miami this week. The fair, has hit its stride with this year’s offering, bringing a group of exhibitors that push distinctly cohesive threads and perspectives over the course of the fair, even as each offers a singular perspective on their chosen media or discourse. (more…)

Thomas Bayrle at ICA Miami (Installation View), via Art Observed

As dealers, artists and insiders continue to arrive en masse to South Florida, the first days of Miami Art Week have kicked into full gear, with a first round of openings and events setting the pace for the week before Art Basel Miami Beach opens to the public tomorrow. With both first looks at several fairs and a number of premiere openings, Tuesday night’s proceedings were a first look at the hectic week ahead.

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A recent report on funding sources for UK Arts Organizations notes an increased reliance by non-profits on private donors, while grants and government funds are in decline.  “The funding changing landscape has big implications,” says Mahmood Reza, Owner-Manager of ProActive Resolutions.  “The cost base for most arts organisations tends to be fixed, due to salary and property based costs, so any downturn or standstill in income has a negative impact.” (more…)

The New York Times reports on last night’s artist-led protest outside the home of Ivanka Trump, as groups outside the President-Elect’s daughter’s Puck Building home held up signs imploring her to be the voice of reason in the White House.  “The culture changes, and fascism rears its ugly head every so often and that’s what’s happening now,” said Marilyn Minter, who helped organize the event. “We wanted to do something to start to the ball rolling, to grow a protest, and we’re artists, so we know how to make posters.” (more…)

Cuban artist El Sexto has been detained and arrested by Cuban authorities in the wake of Fidel Casto’s death, the Miami New Times reports.  “I waited outside the police unit all day, and still nobody has told me why my son was abducted,” his mother told the paper.  The artist had a reputation for outspoken stances against the Cuban government in the past, and was set to travel to Miami for a performance this week. (more…)

The Rubell Family Collection has announced plans to move to Miami’s Allapattah District.  The new space will be designed by Selldorf Architects. “The new museum will allow us to concurrently present four thematic exhibitions which will highlight historical works from the Collection as well as the Collection’s most recent acquisitions,” says Director Juan Valdes.  “In the new museum we will also greatly expand our education, research and studio residency programs.” (more…)