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 26.
NEED-TO-READ
Osman Kavala Sentenced to Life in Prison – The Turkish businessman and art philanthropist was sentenced to life in prison without parole in Istanbul yesterday. Kavala had been detained without a conviction in a high-security prison since 2017. The founder of the nonprofit arts center Anadolu Kültür focused his work on cultural heritage projects about Armenia and other marginalized groups. Amnesty International’s Europe director Nils Muižnieks said the sentencing “defies all logic.” (Hyperallergic)
Shanghai Art Workers Speak Out Under Lockdown – Shanghai’s 26 million people have been under strict lockdown for 17 days due to China’s extreme zero Covid policy, with reports of mass hunger and brutal quarantine for positive individuals. “We have been closed for over a month and it is unclear when we will be able to reopen and welcome guests,” a downtown dealer said. “I have confidence in a gradual recovery once things go back to normal. But in the short and mid-term it will be very complicated to plan things, especially if there will be intermittent lockdowns throughout the next few months.” (The Art Newspaper)
Controversial Philip Guston Show Returns – After a roughly two-year delay, the controversially postponed exhibition “Philip Guston Now” is finally due to open next week at the MFA Boston. How has the show changed since its original version? It now relies on thematic as well as chronological groupings and has added three curators, including Ethan Lasser and Terence Washington. (TAN)
North Face and Futura Reach a Settlement – The apparel company North Face has reached a settlement with the street artist Futura over claims that it misused his signature “atom” symbol in a clothing line without his permission. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. (Reuters)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Lauren Haynes to Join the Queens Museum – The Queens Museum has tapped star curator Lauren Haynes as director of curatorial affairs and programs, a newly created senior role. Haynes is leaving Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art in North Carolina, where she served as senior curator of contemporary art, after just over one year. (ARTnews)
A Tiny Brontë Book Returns to the U.K. – Smaller than a playing card, a handwritten book that esteemed author Charlotte Brontë made at the age of 13 was the star attraction at the recent New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, where it sold for $1.25 million. The buyer, a British charity, will donate it to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire. (New York Times)
Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Plans Venice Art Space – The Isola di San Giacomo, a remote island off the coast of Venice, will be converted into an art space in 2024 by collector Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. During the Venice Biennale preview last week, she hosted a performance by Jota Mombaça curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist. (ARTnews)
Tampa Museum Gets $25 Million for Renovation – In what is the largest private donation ever made to a public art museum in Florida, the Tampa Museum of Art has accepted a $25 million gift to fund a major expansion. The cash was donated by Dick Corbett, CEO and president of Tampa-based real-estate investment firm Concorde Companies. (Tampa Bay Times)
FOR ART’S SAKE
Art Basel and M+ Co-Commission Video – After a few months’ postponement, Art Basel Hong Kong is pressing ahead now that authorities have (slightly) relaxed stringent travel and social-distancing measures. Ahead of the May fair, organizers teamed up with the M+ museum to co-commission an artwork for the first time. The Shape of Light, a moving-image work by the pioneering homegrown video artist Ellen Pau, will debut on the facade of M+ during the fair, from May 19 to 23. (Press release)
Screening of The Shape of Light on M+ Facade, 2022. Courtesy of Ellen Pau, and M+, Hong Kong. Photo: Lok Cheng, M+, Hong Kong.