A U.S. federal judge in Washington, DC has fined Russia $43.7m for failing to hand over a collection of books and religious documents to a Brooklyn-based Jewish Orthodox organization.  The action is partially a result of Russia’s recently imposed export ban of artworks and antiques to the U.S., fearing that works may be seized, and has seen similar actions taken in the U.S. (more…)

Eric Fischl is in the New York Times this week, advocating for a new method of art authentication using the artist’s DNA to show if the work is really their handiwork.  “Authenticating a work from the very start can alleviate the pain and frustration people go through when they think they have something of great value and they really don’t,” he says.  “What’s not sexy about synthetic DNA?”  (more…)

Bloomberg notes the strong interest on site at Frieze this week, and the collectors getting aggressive on buying even while other markets flounder.  “Russians are in trouble. Brazil is in trouble. Commodities are way down,” says Eli Broad. “The art market is very strong. You’d think there are no troubles anywhere in the world.” (more…)

The U.S. General Services Administration art collection has been archived and uploaded online, allowing interested viewers to browse works and artists from the the archive, as well as view where works may be on view.  Other pieces from the collection on loan to museums and galleries are also included.  (more…)

Antony Gormley, EXPANDED FAMILY X2: CHOOSE (2014)

On view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac’s Salzburg location through October 31st is Space Out, artist Antony Gormley’s ongoing investigation of physical space and its encapsulation through sculptural intervention.  One of the most recognized and influential sculptors working today, Gormley has always been interested in space and its correspondence to physicality, yet with his recent series, Expansion Field, the artist accentuates his often noticeable tendency towards stripping human figures down to geometrical forms. Divorced from human attributions such as curves or postures, these robust creations bear various references to the history of art including Minimalism and Russian Constructivism. (more…)

Tania Bruguera is profiled in both The Guardian and The Art Newspaper today, as she begins her post as a teacher at Yale University, and reflects on her turbulent past year.  “In Cuba we’ve been in two dictatorships after the other,” she tells the Guardian. “A lot of people don’t see it that way yet, and for me it’s hard, still, to say those words. People have been under fear. We need a process where people understand not only what their rights are, but what to ask for.” (more…)

Larry Gagosian has sold his Upper East Side Carriage House to SculptureCenter chair Sascha Bauer for $18 million, the NY Daily News reports.  Gagosian bought the property in 1988 from Schlumberger heiress Christophe de Menil. (more…)

A work by Lutz Bacher in MoMA PS1’s Greater New York exhibition is drawing attention after Daniel Arsham pointed out the work’s similarity to a set piece from his film Future Relic.  Arsham however, doesn’t seem bothered by the comparison.  “If they are indeed the same materials, there would have been no way for them to know it was my work unless they follow my Instagram and had seen the set design then,” he says.  “If they are indeed the same exact objects, then all I can say is that the artist has a very good eye!” (more…)

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (The Black Athlete) (1982), via Sotheby’s

Another evening of auctions sales has come and gone as Sotheby’s concluded its Contemporary Evening Sale in London tonight, a fast-paced event that saw brisk sales and strong interest until the late lots, with 15 works of the 53 lot sale going unsold, and bringing in a total of £36,351,250. (more…)

Cornelia Parker has been invited to design the next Met rooftop commission for the summer of 2016, the New York Times reports.   “In her large-scale installations, Cornelia opens our eyes to the special qualities – and sometimes darker significance – of familiar places and things we tend to overlook,” says Met chair of Modern and Contemporary Art, Sheena Wagstaff. (more…)

The Hirshhorn Museum has commissioned Mark Bradford to create a 360-degree fresco for the artist’s November 2016 solo show.  “I want it to feel as if it can’t make up its mind on whether it’s deconstructing itself or constructing itself,” Bradford says. (more…)

Cy Twombly, Untitled (2006), via Phillips

The sales have concluded tonight at Phillips London, as the auction house capped a procedural yet impressively consistent outing, seeing a white glove sale where all 36 lots sucessfully found a buyer, bringing a final total tally of nearly £32 million for the night. (more…)

Mark Leckey, Inflatable Felix (2014) at Galerie Bucholz

The doors have opened on Frieze 2015 in London, bringing the art world en masse to Regent’s Park for the 13th edition of one of the fall’s biggest selling events.  The exhibition, which capped its “VIP” day last evening, saw viewers flocking to its long, loping hallways to browse the works on view. (more…)

Hilla Becher, via Artforum

Hilla Becher, the influential German photographer who, alongside her husband Bernd, worked as a pioneer in the field of contemporary art photography, has passed away at the age of 81.   (more…)

Artist Abraham Cruzvillegas has opened his new commission at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, featuring an intermeshed series of planters filled with dirt from different parts of the city. The work allows visitors to spread seeds or see what is growing unplanned from the soil.  “I hope that something can happen in the worst of conditions. In our society, all these migrations, all these conflicts … how can we ask questions?” the artist says. (more…)

Following its merger with Art in America, led by Peter Brant, ArtNews Magazine is moving over to a quarterly format, continuing the transition process that began this summer, and which will see a focused move to digital.   “We are committed to staying in that world,” Brant said. “These are art publications—they’re visual. You can go overboard on the digital side.” (more…)

The River, a new arts center has opened at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT, boasting a flowing design by SANAA Architects.  “We invite people to shape their own personal experiences at Grace Farms,” said Sharon Prince, president of Grace Farms Foundation. “The possibilities are as open as the landscape itself.” (more…)

Oscar Murillo is the subject of a profile piece in the Evening Standard this week, as the artist prepares to open his exhibition at David Zwirner London, and reflects back on his years working as a cleaner to support his work.  “Art to me has never been about paying the bills — it’s ironic to say that now, but it really wasn’t,” he says. (more…)

A New York judge has ruled that the lawsuits against Knoedler Gallery’s Ann Freedman will come to court this coming January, denying a motion by the former gallery director’s president to dismiss the case.  “Plaintiffs have offered ample circumstantial evidence demonstrating that Freedman acted with fraudulent intent and understood that the Rosales Paintings were not authentic,” Judge Paul G. Gardephe of United States District Court in Manhattan wrote. (more…)

Despite challenging market conditions around the globe, the Financial Times reports that art buyers seem unfazed. “Even if there is less money for luxury spending, there’s commonly a substitution effect when times are tough: people buy fewer designer bags and instead buy things they think have a tangible value,” says economist Clare McAndrew. (more…)

The Spanish government’s seizure of a Picasso painting from billionaire banker Jaime Botín’s yacht in the Mediterranean earlier this year has led to a fierce battle over ownership of the work, and raised important questions of what a government may do to preserve national treasures.  “The Picasso case raises the question of whether a state can deny an export at no cost,” says lawyer Guiseppe Calabi, who is currently involved in a similar case in Italy. “To declare a work an item of cultural interest destroys the market value.” (more…)

As the Tate Britain closes its show of Barbara Hepworth sculpture, the Guardian looks back on the career of departing curator and director Penelope Curtis, publishing an open letter from a group of prominent British intellectuals.  “Curtis, and the curators with whom she worked within and outside Tate Britain, re-introduced us to the British collections – often showing us works long hidden, invariably in fresh contexts,” the letter reads. (more…)

Art Basel Miami Beach has announced its plans for the 2015 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, featuring works by Glenn Kaino, Chris Ofili, and more across the 27 curated exhibitions in the section.  “These wide-ranging projects encompass both emerging and established artists, and offer unique moments of discovery with precise exhibitions embedded throughout the halls,” says Art Basel Americas director Noah Horowitz. (more…)

Bill Koch is selling a pair of works this November in New York, boasting a combined estimate of over $110 million. The works are Picasso’s La Gommeuse, which is estimated at $60 million, and Claude Monet’s Nympheas.  The sale of these works may see Koch making up to 11 times what he paid for the works.  “Monet is as desirable in China, Singapore, Taiwan as he is in Russia, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.,”co-head of Sotheby’s worldwide Impressionist and modern art department Simon Shaw said. “He is an accessible, modern brand.” (more…)