Artist Catherine Opie recently spoke with ArtInfo about the potential merger of LACMA and MOCA, and her views on the institutions’ futures. Opie left MOCA’s board of directors last year amid criticism of the museum’s administrative direction.  “I know there’s a LACMA offer on the table and personally I think that would amazing,” Opie said. “LACMA has an amazing ability to raise money, Michael Govan has done an incredible job with that campus.  If he feels like he can take that on and turn things around it would be incredible.”  (more…)

The Guardian has posted a video interview with conceptual artist Simon Starling, showing the artist in the midst of production for Phantom Ride, an 8-minute video that explores the ongoing history of the Duveen Galleries of the Tate.  “The idea is to create a sort of historical collapse, so as to tell the story of the space in 8 minutes of film, to take artworks that have been shown here over a very long period of time, and to force them to coexist in the space.” (more…)

Ragnar Kjartansson, The Visitors (Installation View) via Luhring Augustine, New York

Luhring Augustine is currently exhibiting “The Visitors,” a nine-channel video installation by artist Ragnar Kjartansson, a musician and artist living and working in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.  As a member of the group Trabant, Kjartansson pushes the boundaries between electronic rock and performance while working in multiple media formats, focusing primarily on various aspects of performance. (more…)

Pablo Picasso’s much-loved painting, Child with Dove (1901), is likely to leave the UK for good this year.  The work recently changed hands, and the anonymous new owner is free to take the work abroad once its current loan ends in May.  “With arts cuts the way they are, it’s going to be increasingly difficult. (The Picasso) is, of course, a catastrophic loss. (But) it’s about being realistic: work is going to leave.”  Said Alan Yentob, creative director at the BBC. (more…)

A painting found in the collection of the Bowes Museum in the U.K. city of Durham, has been confirmed as an original work of Sir Anthony Van Dyck.  The work, a portrait of Lady Olivia Boteler Porter, was thought to be a 19th century copy after Van Dyck until recent examinations proved it as an original.  “To find a portrait by Van Dyck is rare enough, but to find one of his ‘friendship’ portraits like this, of the wife of his best friend in England, is extraordinarily lucky. Although as part of our national heritage values are irrelevant, for insurance purposes it should now be valued at anything up to £1m.” Said Dr. Bendor Grosvenor, an art historian and presenter. (more…)

The Keith Haring Foundation is moving forward with a lawsuit over the exhibition of 165 works falsely attributed to Keith Haring.  While the organizers of the offending event, Haring Miami, agreed to remove all falsely attributed works, the organization said in a statement: “The Foundation plans to continue to pursue this lawsuit, carrying the message that it will enforce the Foundation’s rights and protect the artist’s legacy in every case of suspected fraud.” (more…)

Outside the Park Ave Armory for the ADAA Art Show

With another hectic Armory Week comes another edition of the Art Dealers Association of America’s Art Show, open at the Park Avenue Armory.  Now in its 25th edition, The Art Show is the nation’s longest continually running art fair, offering viewers a smaller, more scaled back experience in contrast with The Armory Show held out on New York’s Hell’s Kitchen Piers.  The show’s more focused collection of 72 leading dealers and galleries allow viewers a slightly less overwhelming experience moving from booth to booth, and also provide slightly more space for the work to breath.

Damien Hirst at Van de Weghe (more…)

MoMA PS1 has announced that it will host an exhibition focusing on the current state of the environment, alongside notions of political and social change.  Titled EXPO 1: New York, the exhibition will include a selection of video, art and photo installations at PS1, as well as a component at the new VW dome in the Rockaways.  EXPO 1 “focuses on some of the most pressing issues of the day set against a backdrop of economic and socio-political concerns that have made a dramatic impact on daily life.”  Says Director Klaus Biesenbach. (more…)

Dealer Larry Gagosian and collector Jan Cowles have reportedly settled their disagreement over the 1964 Roy Lichtenstein work Girl in Mirror.  The news was broken by Wall Street Journal reporter Kelly Crow on her Twitter account this morning.  A full report has yet to be released, so the details of the settlement has yet to be released. (more…)

Coming off Tracey Emin’s presentation with a CBE, the artist has designed a limited-edition cover for Harper’s Bazaar Magazine.  A tribute to David Bowie in celebration of his new album, the cover features one of her signature neon hearts with the lines “You Loved Me Like A Distant Star.”  The 200 copies of the magazine will be available in advance of Bowie’s retrospective show at the Victoria and Albert Museum. (more…)

Pablo Picasso’s never before exhibited collage Portrait of a Lady will be exhibited for the first time at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.  The work was acquired last December, and will go on view next month as part of the Birth of a Museum exhibition.  “Being a collage, it’s one of the key elements that Picasso used and it’s not something that is always seen in other museums. It’s a very distinct style that he developed at that time.”  Says Louvre project manager Hissa Al Dhaheri. (more…)

Tracey Emin has been honored with a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for her contributions to the arts.  Emerging as a leading member of the UK’s 1990’s contemporary arts scene, Emin was recognized for her ongoing contributions to British culture.  “Its amazing that I’ve been given this because its recognition for what I believe in and what I’ve worked for, so it’s a great feeling,” she said. (more…)

James Lee Byars, Early Works and The Angel (Installation view) via Michael Werner Gallery, London

Early Works and “The Angel,” currently on view at Michael Werner Gallery in London, exhibits major works from the late sculptor and performance artist James Lee Byars.  Combining a selection of the artist’s early sculptural works, painted scrolls, and performative objects with the impressive glass sculpture “The Angel,” the show provides an interesting look into the artist’s formative influences and practices.  The gallery is an apt location for this collection, as Michael Werner, the German art dealer and gallery’s namesake, historically had close ties with Byars, as well as his contemporary, Joseph Beuys.

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The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Via the Los Angeles Times

In a letter dated February 24th, Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan and his co-chairs have made a formal offer to acquire the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown Los Angeles.  The proposal outlines a plan for the transition of ownership of MOCA’s two museum properties to LACMA, which would maintain their operation under the MOCA banner. (more…)

A collection of thousands of works by abstract painter Arthur Pinajian, discovered in a Long Island cottage, have been appraised at over $30 million dollars.  The works, which were uncovered in 2007 when the house was purchased by new owners.  Some have recently sold for $500,000, and 50 are currently on view at Manhattan’s Fuller Building.

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Kevin Sutherland, the Miami pastor who was arrested last month for the attempted sale of several counterfeited works attributed to Damien Hirst, was indicted yesterday on grand larceny charges, to which he pleaded not guilty.  The pastor had allegedly attempted to sell undercover officers a number of fake Hirsts (one of which is pictured here) for $185,000.  His attorney, Sanford Talkin, claims that there is “more to the story.”

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The View from Outside The 2013 Armory Show

The doors opened this morning on the 2013 edition of the Armory Art show, welcoming press and VIP’s into the massive exhibition halls of Piers 92 and 94 on the waterfront of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.  It was a special year for New York’s biggest annual art event, marking the 100 year anniversary of its namesake, the 1913 exhibition that welcomed the European avant-garde to American shores, and gave many their first glimpses of Marcel Duchamp, Matisse and Edvard Munch, among many others.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Makes the Opening Remarks at The 2013 Armory Show (more…)

Attentive curators for the Metropolitan Museum of Art made quite a find at this past January’s Old Masters Week auctions, buying an authentic sketch by Jacques-Louis David for $840.  The drawing, closely resembling David’s The Death of Socrates, was attributed to an anonymous artist, but the hawk-eyed curators took notice immediately.  “The drawing style is typical of David. It was obvious we had to have it.”  Said Met drawings curator George Goldner. (more…)

The closing of Christie’s online auction of works by Andy Warhol has seen the auction exceed expectations, pulling in a total of $2.3 million to benefit the Andy Warhol Foundation.  With an online attendance of over 65,000 visitors, bidding for a number of works was extremely competitive, as evidenced by the sale of Warhol’s lithograph of Marilyn Monroe’s lips for $112,500, over 40 times its estimated sale price.  Christie’s has already announced its next Warhol online auction in April, focusing on the artist’s time at Studio 54. (more…)

Jonathan Wateridge, Boy on a Wall (2012), via L&M Arts

Inter + Vista, an exhibition of new paintings by Jonathan Wateridge, marks the artist’s first exhibition in Los Angeles, presented by L&M Arts. The exhibition highlights Wateridge’s interest in the relationship of the traditional medium of oil paint on canvas and linen with placid scenes of contemporary society. (more…)

Art Club 2000, Untitled (Conran’s I) (1993), Courtesy of The New Museum

Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, on view now at The New Museum, is a look 20 years into the not-so-distant-past, using 1993 (and the works produced and shown within that calendar year) as a critical reflection point into recent art history and practice.

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The first Art13 Festival took place this past week in London, showing a high number of Asian and Middle Eastern Galleries and Artists competing for the attention of interested buyers.  With about half of the showing artists of non-western origin, the show provided buyers with opportunities to purchase major works by Eastern Contemporary Art figureheads like the Indonesian painter Nyoman Masriadi, whose work Godlike has already commanded impressive attention and an equally impressive price tag of $350,000.  “Fairs like Frieze and Art Basel tend to be a bit Western- centric,” Jasdeep Sandhu, of Singapore’s Gajah Gallery, said. “This presentation has a more global focus. It’s what the future of the art market might be.” (more…)

Artist Doug Aitken is currently preparing to unveil a “digital land artwork” at the Seattle Art Museum.  Titled Mirror, the work consists of thin strips of LED lights and digital video of Seattle and the surrounding regions, and will be on view for the public beginning on March 24th.  “Land art from the 1960s and 1970s exists in remote locations. I was interested in creating something very urban,” Aitken says.  (more…)

The Gagosian Gallery’s current retrospective of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is drawing impressive crowds to the gallery’s Chelsea location on 24th St.  Weekend attendance has frequently topped 3,000 visitors a day, and weekday attendance has seen somewhere from 1,000 to 2,000 visitors daily.  Attendance numbers are only expected to grow, with the upcoming Armory Show bringing much of the art world to New York City. (more…)