Artist Danh Vo has left Bortolozzi Gallery in the midst of appeals for his case against collector Bert Kreuk.  As a result, Vo has appointed a new lawyer in his case, Maarten Haak, who replaces Gert-Jan Van den Bergh.  “In the appeal case the interests of the artist and his [former] gallery may be different,” Haak says. “This was a pressing reason for Van den Bergh to withdraw from representing both parties in the appeal.” (more…)

Artist Cai Guo-Qiang has initiated an ambitious new fireworks performance in Quanzhou, China.  Titled Sky Ladder, the work features a climbing line of flames towards the moon.  “It carries affection for my hometown, my relatives and my friends,” the artist says. “For me, this not only means a return but also the start of a new journey.” (more…)

Christie’s has announced plans to auction the collection of Arthur and Anita Kahn this fall, a series of 400 works that are valued collectively at $50 million, including 80 works by Alexander Calder, a friend of the family.  “For years and years, I went by [their] apartment and I never knew what was up there, and when I learned, it was, ‘Well, I’ll be darned,’ ” said Paul R. Provost, deputy chairman of Christie’s Americas. (more…)

W Magazine takes an inside look at Havana’s vibrant arts scene, as diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States get underway. “Everything is very slow here,” says artist Adonis Flores. “It’s very difficult for artists to get materials. And life, in general, is hard.” (more…)

Forcefield, Meerk Puffy Autumn Shroud (2002), via Art Observed

Over the past half century, American art has distinguished itself as much for its formal heroes (Pollock, de Kooning, Judd, etc.) as its outliers, artists working along distinct threads of the abject, pop culture and mass production who challenged the more refined and neatly conceptualized exercises of the 20th Century avant-garde.  This separate thread of American art, running from 1960’s comic-book art through the punk and funk movements of the 1970’s and onwards through the chaotic energies of turn of the century performance and video are the subject of What Nerve!, a documentation of the American underground at Matthew Marks. (more…)

The New York Times looks at the operations of The Poly Culture Group, a state-backed Chinese conglomerate that runs the world’s third largest auction house, and holds an indelible sway over the nation’s contemporary art market.  “Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s reputation in mainland China is relatively new, and they haven’t had the time to properly root themselves,” says Anders Petterson, the managing director of ArtTactic. “So when market confidence is weakening, the newcomers are likely to be more exposed than the key domestic players.” (more…)

The Stony Island Arts Bank, a 70,000-square-foot renovation in Chicago by Theaster Gates, will open October 3, coinciding with the beginning of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.  “This is a new kind of cultural amenity, a new kind of institution—a hybrid gallery, media archive and library, and community center,” Gates says. “It is an institution of and for the South Side—a repository for African American culture and history, a laboratory for the next generation of black artists and culture-interested people; a platform to showcase future leaders—be they painters, educators, scholars, or curators.” (more…)

Artist Anish Kapoor is threatening legal action against a Chinese artist who erected what seems to be a blatant copy of his iconic work Cloud Gate (affectionately nicknamed “The Bean” by residents of Chicago) in the city of Karamay.  “I feel I must take this to the highest level and pursue those responsible in the courts. I hope that the Mayor of Chicago will join me in this action,” Kapoor says.  “The Chinese authorities must act to stop this kind of infringement and allow the full enforcement of copyright.” (more…)

Former Guggenheim Director Thomas Krens is reportedly planning a new for-profit museum in North Adams, MA.  The proposed 160,000 square foot museum would bring a second major museum to the home of MassMOCA.  “The idea of spending a little more time in the Berkshires was attractive to me,” he says. (more…)

The Guggenheim has made two new appointments to its staff in a continuation of its commitment to Chinese contemporary art.  Hou Hanru, the artistic director of MAXXI, the National Museum of the 21st Century Arts in Rome, will become a consulting curator, while Xiaoyu Weng, the founding director of the Kadist Art Foundation’s Asia programs, will become associate curator of Chinese art. (more…)

The Knoedler Gallery and former director Ann Freedman have reportedly settled three of ten lawsuits brought against them for selling fraudulent works attributed to abstract-expressionist masters.  “We continue to vigorously defend the remaining litigation,” says Charles Schmerler of Norton Rose Fulbright, who represents Knoedler. (more…)

Antony Gormley will finally debut his Event Horizon in Hong Kong, one year after the suicide of a J.P. Morgan trader delayed the installation of the work. The sculpture will launch this November. (more…)

A Venice court has rejected a fast-track request by the Icelandic Art Center (IAC) to speed up its case against the city’s closing of its Biennale installation by Christoph Büchel.  “Continuing our appeal would therefore only address the matter of possible compensation for damages due in relation to the shutting down of the pavilion and would not be useful in helping us achieve our primary goal: re-opening the mosque project for the remainder of the Biennale,” the original statement filed in court reads. (more…)

Gallerist Paula Cooper is featured in Interview Magazine this month, reflecting on her dynamic impact on the New York art world, and her early days running her gallery.  “I once had an incident with an artist who had become quite well-known,” she says. “He started to bring his lawyer into negotiations because he thought I was too innocent and open. I said, “If I have to work any other way, if I have to be suspicious and bring a lawyer in all of the time, then I don’t want to work that way.” (more…)

A report by CNN points to a thriving arts culture in Singapore following increases in government funding to arts and heritage organizations.  “Unlike Hong Kong, Singapore has a more diverse population. There’s the influence of Malay, Indian arts, old Asian roots and connections. Yet, we also have a Western, cosmopolitan outlook that is reflected in the range of arts we fund,”  says Paul Tan, Deputy CEO of the National Arts Council. (more…)

The Knossos Museum in Greece is currently under investigation for tax fraud after reports that the museum was not issuing receipts to visitors at its gift shop.  “We await a report from the tax authorities before launching immediate disciplinary action,” Culture Minister Nikos Xydakis said in a statement. (more…)

Jack Greer with One of His Works, all photos via Art Observed

Artist Jack Greer takes to Howard St Gallery this summer to present his solo exhibition, Landmark, continuing his affiliation with The Still House Group at the collective’s downtown space. Producing individual work amongst an ensemble of young artists–who chiefly provide for one another what is essentially a creative support group– has undoubtedly influenced Greer’s work; Landmark explores the relationship of the individual vis-à-vis the conglomerate, exposing the inherent desire of humans for enduring fellowship.  (more…)

The USC Roski School of Art Students, who withdrew in protest over changes to the school curriculum earlier this year, have called for the resignation of Dean Erica Muhl.  “Together, we continue the call for USC leadership’s accountability in acknowledging an administrator’s destructive actions and blatant disregard of the feedback and experience of its faculty and students in support of the future of fine arts higher education at USC,” the students wrote. (more…)

Three former Christie’s employees; Jean-Paul Engelen, Hugues Joffre, and the auction house’s former deputy chairman of postwar and contemporary art in New York, Robert Manley, have all joined Phillips this week.  The move follows a strong outing by the New York-based auction house this past spring, and continued aggressive approaches to contend with Sotheby’s and Christie’s. (more…)

The Guardian notes increasing protests and challenges to potentially controversial subject matter in the arts, including the recent forced closure of artist Bradley Bailey’s Exhibit B at The Barbican.  Analyzing increased public outcry over challenging works, the article notes potential solutions for resolving and mediating potential issues with new work. (more…)

Flat Time House, the London studio and home of artist John Latham, has announced that it will close next year, following a failed attempt to raise £1 million to keep its doors open.  “Flat Time House will continue with a vibrant program until the house closes in summer 2016, and thereafter the Institute plans to continue its activities at other venues, to be announced,” the organization said in a statement.  (more…)

Gagosian Gallery has reportedly won representation for the estate of Nam June Paik worldwide, the Art Newspaper reports.  The deal was initiated by the gallery’s Hong Kong Gallery.  “Paik was an Asian artist—a Korean national fluent in Japanese—who lived most of his life in Europe and the United States,” a spokesman for the gallery says. “As a Western gallery with an expanding presence in Asia, Gagosian sees Hong Kong as a fitting place to inaugurate our representation of the estate.” (more…)

The New York Times profiles the work of the Guerrilla Girls, the anonymous collective fighting for women’s rights and representation among the art world’s vaunted institutions over the past 30 years. “I remember feeling such pride that there were female artists out there giving voice to these concerns that we were sensing and feeling,” says Olga Viso, the Walker Museum’s director. “[They] totally shaped who I am and the artists I worked with.” (more…)

Converse has released a new line in collaboration with the Andy Warhol estate, placing the artist’s iconic banana print from the Velvet Underground’s first album cover onto the heel of a pair of Chuck Taylors.   (more…)