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 on this Monday, April 24.
NEED-TO-READ
Did Banksy Buy a Pub Near Glastonbury Festival? – The elusive graffiti artist has reportedly bought a historic pub called The Crown in Pilton, Somerset, near the site where Glastonbury festival takes place. The artist is rumored to have acquired the pub built in the 1600s for £1 million ($1.4 million), but the reports have not been confirmed by the artist or his team. (Rolling Stone)
Beef Team Responds to David Choe Controversy – Lee Sung Jin, the creator of the trending Netflix series, as well as the show’s stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong said they “do not condone” the “undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing” story that artist and cast member Choe told on a podcast nine years ago, but added that Choe has already made an effort “to learn from his mistakes.” Choe has apologized for the story, in which he joked about becoming a “successful rapist” during a massage, but the criticism resurfaced recently as Beef became a hit. (Variety)
Ju Ming Has Died – The famed Taiwanese sculptor was found dead at 85 Saturday evening at his Taipei home from what was an apparent suicide. The celebrated artist known for the creation of the iconic “Taichi” series was one of the most famous sculptors in the Sinosphere and exhibited globally. Many of his public works became iconic local landmarks, such as the Gate of Wisdom at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. (Focus Taiwan)
Australian Climate Protester Faces Counter-Terrorism Charges – Joana Veronika Partyka, who was in February convicted for criminally damaged Frederick McCubbin’s work Down on His Luck at the Art Gallery of West Australia in a protest against a gas company, is now facing new charges for declining to give the authorities access to her electronic devices that were seized by counter-territorism police during a raid of her home. (Guardian)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Collector Ronald Perelman Donates $25 Million to Brown – The Perelman Family Foundation has made the donation to create the Ronald O. Perelman Arts District at Brown University in a bid to strengthen the arts at the Ivy League institution. A cache of Perelman’s blue-chip artworks and design pieces have hit the block in recent years as part of a “grand sell-off” of assets. (Press release)
Ibrahim Mahama’s Ljubljana Biennale Announces Theme – “From the void came gifts of the cosmos” has been chosen as the title of the 35th edition of the biennale, which will run from September 15 to January 14, 2024. The work on view will reflect on the entanglements of built environments with modern histories of anti-colonial and anti-imperial struggles and their contemporary remnants. (Press release)
Hammer Names Participants for 2023 Made in L.A. – From Jessie Homer French to Chiffon Thomas, a total of 39 artists, arts collectives, and organizations will take part in Hammer Museum’s upcoming biennial. “Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living,” will run from October 1 through December 31. (L.A. Times)
FOR ART’S SAKE
Nelson-Atkins Displays Painting Won in Super Bowl Bet – Sailing, the 1875 oil painting by Thomas Eakins, goes on show at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas city for two months after the museum won a friendly bet with the Philadelphia Museum of Art in what was dubbed a “museum bowl” when Kansas City Chiefs played against the Philadelphia Eagles. The museum of the losing city promised to send one of its masterpieces to the museum of the winning city on loan. (KCUR)
Thomas Eakins, Sailing (ca. 1875). The Alex Simpson, Jr., Collection, 1928. Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.