Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know this Tuesday, April 11.

NEED-TO-READ

Postcard Discussing Titanic Sinking Hits Auction Block – A postcard believed to be the earliest missive considering the tragedy could fetch £2,000 to £3,000 ($2,488 to $3,732) at auction in London. Penned at 5 p.m. on April 16, 1912, the note explained the writer had heard the news that the boat “had gone to the bottom.” (Evening Standard)  

Mad Cartoonist Al Jaffee Is Dead – The magazine’s award-winning cartoonist died at the age of 102 on Monday in New York. He had retired at 99 after a long career. Jaffee was especially loved for his sneaky “fold in” works that offered a cheeky reveal when folded. (Independent)

Adrian Piper Cuts Ties With Her Mega-Gallery – The conceptual artist and philosopher announced that she has “terminated my association with LGDR and Lévy Gorvy,” ending a nearly decade-long relationship with the former blue-chip gallery and its successor founded by Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy, Amalia Dayan, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn. Piper’s email was sent on Monday morning, though she noted that her relationship with the galleries was over effective from January 20, 2023. (Email)

Nazi-Looted Silver Returned By Museums – Everyday items that are far less valuable on paper than a Picasso or a Klimt were also looted by the Nazis. These more prosaic valuables, which include silver cups, candlesticks, spice containers, and silver teapots, are finally being returned to their rightful families thanks to research about their ownership at  museums including the Bavarian National Museum in Munich, Germany. (New York Times) 

Protesters Arrested Following Museum Demonstration – Two activists of the Just Stop Oil organization were arrested after jumping the barrier of a dinosaur display at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. “Two large bags of dry paint” were also found at the scene, presumably before protesters Daniel Knorr and Victoria Lindsell had a chance to use them as part of a desperate action employed because “nothing else has moved our genocidal Government to act for the welfare of all.” (Evening Standard) 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Chinese Bowl Sells for Over $25 Million – A “highly important” porcelain bowl measuring just under 4.5 inches sold for more than $25 million at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. Dating to the 18th century, during the rule of the emperor Yongzheng, the bowl was made in the “falangcai” or “foreign colors” tradition. (CNN) 

Guggenheim Fellowships Announced – Artists Martine Syms, Jamal Cyrus, Tammy Nguyen, and Lavar Munroe are among the class of 171 fellowship recipients for 2023. The individuals represent fields including engineering, mathematics, photography, historians, and painters. (Artforum) 

Beeple Collabs with Charleston Museum – The record-setting NFT artist Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple, is teaming up with the Gibbes Museum of Art for the second Beeple Studios event taking place as part of the Art Charleston Festival on April 29. The artist will create a new “Everydays” piece as part of a live performance at his newly opened studio. (NFT Evening) 

FOR ART’S SAKE  

M+ Gifts 10,000 Students Tickets to Yayoi Kusama Show – The Hong Kong museum is giving away 10,000 tickets to the current “Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now” show to students from local universities in an effort to encourage discussion about mental health. M+ teamed up with the mental health initiative “Shall We Talk,” and will offer guided visits to the exhibition along with art workshops. (South China Morning Post) 

Installation view of Self-Obliteration (1966–1974) at ‘Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now,’ 2022. Photo: Lok Cheng.
M+, Hong Kong.