News

August 19, 2019 at 11:49am

The Met Investigates Provenance of Artworks Acquired from Dealer Suspected of Smuggling

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is reviewing objects in its collection that were purchased or gifted to the institution over the course of three decades from a now disgraced dealer who has been accused of running one of the largest antiquities smuggling rings in the world. According to the New York Times, around fifteen artifacts acquired by the museum were once in the possession of former Manhattan dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was charged with eighty-six felony counts—ranging from grand larceny to possession of stolen property and conspiracy to defraud—in a New York City criminal court

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August 16, 2019 at 3:34pm

Betti-Sue Hertz to Lead Columbia University’s Wallach Gallery, Bernard Piffaretti Joins Lisson Gallery, and More

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University announced today that Betti-Sue Hertz will become its new director and chief curator. Hertz comes to Columbia from San Francisco, where she has served as a faculty member at the San Francisco Art Institute, director of visual arts at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and contemporary art curator at the San Diego Museum of Art. She succeeds Deborah Cullen-Morales, who stepped down in August 2018 to join the Bronx Museum of the Arts as executive director, and will take up the post on September 1.
Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert now represents

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August 16, 2019 at 10:30am

Robert Indiana’s Caretaker Accused of Allowing Artist to Live in Squalor as Battle over Estate Continues

More than a year after the death of sculptor Robert Indiana, James W. Brannan, the executor of his estate, filed court documents on Wednesday that accuse the artist’s caretaker of stealing more than $1 million in money and art from the Pop art icon while allowing him to live in filth and squalor in his Vinalhaven home in Maine, the Press Herald reports.
“Beginning in or about 2016, Jamie L. Thomas took advantage of Indiana’s advancing age, isolation, frailties, and fame to develop a relationship of trust and control over the artist,” the lawsuit reads. “As the holder of Indiana’s healthcare and

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August 15, 2019 at 3:05pm

10 Percent Tariff on Chinese Art and Antiquities Will Take Effect September 1

As the trade war between the United States and China continues, President Trump announced on Tuesday that he plans to delay the implementation of a new tax on a variety of Chinese-made consumer goods, pushing it back from September to December. However, art and antiquities—including paintings, drawings, and sculptures—did not make the list and will be hit with a 10 percent tax beginning September 1.
“The US import tariff will apply to all Chinese art sourced anywhere in the world, not simply Chinese art imported from China,” New York–based dealer James Lally told the Art Newspaper. “[

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August 15, 2019 at 2:18pm

Designers Withdraw from New York Fashion Week Show at the Shed over Trump Fundraiser

Stephen Ross—the billionaire real estate giant behind New York’s mega-development Hudson Yards and a board member of the Shed, the contemporary arts center that opened in April—is facing further backlash over a fundraiser for President Trump that was held at his Hamptons home on Friday, August 9. The event, combined with a talk Trump gave at the residence of developer Joe Farrell later that day, raised $12 million for his reelection campaign.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, the latest fallout over the fundraiser, for which Ross sold tickets for up to $250,000, is designer brand Rag &

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August 15, 2019 at 10:43am

Former Warehouse Announced as New Location for Istanbul Biennial

The Istanbul Biennial announced today that it has found a new location for its sixteenth edition, which is fast approaching. Organizers were forced to scramble to change exhibition venues for the majority of its programming after toxic asbestos was discovered at the Istanbul Shipyards, which was supposed to be the biennial’s main site.
The exhibition will now be held at Antrepo 5, a former warehouse that is currently undergoing a major renovation. Located on the waterfront in the Tophane district of central Istanbul, the building is being transformed into a painting and sculpture museum that will

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August 14, 2019 at 6:21pm

San Francisco School Board Backtracks on Decision to Destroy Controversial Murals

The San Francisco Board of Education voted four to three on Tuesday to cover up rather than destroy a series of Depression-era murals at George Washington High School that have divided public opinion. Titled The Life of Washington, the thirteen murals were created by Victor Arnautoff—a Russian-born artist who was commissioned to paint the works as part of a New Deal initiative in the 1930s—and depict the founding US president in a less than favorable light.
In addition to portraying Washington as a soldier, surveyor, and statesman, the murals show him as a slave owner—at the time

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August 14, 2019 at 2:29pm

New Photography Center Opens in Tuscany

The Associazione Culturale in Palaia, Italy, has launched a new space dedicated to photography and contemporary image-making, reports Il Giornale dell’Arte. Located in Tuscany, the venue will offer an educational program that aims to connect emerging and established artists, researchers, and other professionals through weeklong classes, exhibitions, artist residencies, workshops, and “Open Days”—free events featuring talks, portfolio reviews, and photographic walks, which start in October.
Classes at the Tuscan House of Photography will be taught by a team of curators, artists, and

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August 14, 2019 at 12:36pm

NEH Awards $29 Million in Third Round of Funding for 2019

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced today that it will award $29 million in grants to 215 humanities projects across the country. This round of funding, NEH’s third and last for the 2019 fiscal year, will support collaborative research, the digitization of archives, educational initiatives, preservation efforts, and public programming at large institutions such as George Washington University and small organizations such as the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society in forty-five states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
“NEH grants help strengthen and sustain

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August 14, 2019 at 12:19pm

Guggenheim Museum Names Leah E. Heister Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation has welcomed Leah E. Heister as its new deputy director and chief advancement officer. Heister has worked as a consultant for the Guggenheim since 2016. In her new role, she will be responsible for the planning, management, and execution of the institution’s strategic engagement with current and prospective donors. She will take up her post on September 3.
Heister comes to the museum from CCS Fundraising, a strategic consulting firm, where she served as vice president and advised nonprofit clients in the art and culture, higher education, health

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August 14, 2019 at 11:39am

Daniela Rivera Wins DeCordova Museum’s $35,000 Rappaport Prize

The DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, has named Boston-based visual artist Daniela Rivera the 2019 recipient of its annual Rappaport Prize. Established in 2000, the award is presented to an artist who has made significant contributions to the field of contemporary art and also has connections to New England. Following a recent $500,000 gift from the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, this year’s award amount was increased from $25,000 to $35,000.
“The Rappaport Prize is an incredible honor to receive,” said Rivera. “It is such an affirming recognition of

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August 13, 2019 at 5:30pm

Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara Arrested over Performance with Cuban Flag

Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, a staunch activist for artistic freedom in the country, was arrested outside the Museum of Dissidence in Havana on Saturday, August 10 and released two days later. Alcántara has previously been harassed and detained by the police on numerous occasions for his involvement in the campaign against Decree 349, the legislation that restricts independent cultural activity on the island.
At the time of his arrest, the artist had draped a Cuban flag over his shoulders as part of a thirty-day performance, titled Drapeau, in protest of a new law passed earlier this

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