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 Thursday, July 15.

NEED-TO-READ

Critic Pans David Hammons’s New Public Art Project – It takes guts to come out against a work of art that has been nearly universally praised. Critic Emily Colucci has taken the plunge with a full-throated pan of David Hammons’s permanent public artwork Day’s End, describing the nearly decade-long project comprised of scaffolding as a “symbol of the art-world star system, the increasing privatization and cooptation of urban space, and the institutionally endorsed crumbs that seem to count as memorials to gay and trans history in 2021.” (Filthy Dreams)

Princess Diana’s Childhood Bike Hits the Block – A candy-apple red bicycle owned by the late Princess Diana Spencer, who would have turned 60 earlier this month, is going up for sale at East Bristol Auctions on July 24. Despite being more than 50 years old, the Tracker bike still has its original tires. A former housekeeper at the Spencer household bought the bicycle, and the lot features a handwritten Christmas card from Princess Di to the woman. It is expected to fetch up to $40,000. (New York Post)

Lawsuit Targets French Museums – The family of lawyer and collector Armand Dorville, who fled Paris in 1940, is suing the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, France’s culture ministry, and four provincial museums for the return of 21 works from his collection. France claims the objects were sold fair and square in an estate sale after Dorville’s death; the family says it was a forced sale. (The Art Newspaper)

Protesters Assemble at Museum of Chinese in America Reopening – Just days after two artists lobbied to have their works removed from the Museum of Chinese in America, protesters gathered outside to protest an institution they say is “promoting displacement” of the community it claims to represent. The group is calling out the museum for accepting a $35 million concession that is part of a jail expansion plan for a nearby complex. (Hyperallergic)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Is Noah Horowitz Heading to Auction? – Rumor has it that the outgoing director of the Americas for Art Basel, who confirmed his departure last week, may be heading to an auction house. The Big Three (Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips) all declined to comment, and Horowitz said coyly that he is “not at liberty to comment … for the moment.” (Financial Times)

Kunsthaus Zürich Names New Director – Ann Demeester, who currently serves as director of the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands, will take the helm of the Kunsthaus Zürich in January 2023, succeeding Christoph Becker, who led the museum for 20 years. (Press release)

Amy Feldman Joins Eva Presenhuber – Galerie Eva Presenhuber has added American artist Amy Feldman to its roster. Feldman, who is known for large gray-on-gray abstract paintings, will open her first exhibition with the gallery in New York on September 10. (Press release)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Louvre Abu Dhabi Launches Emerging Art Prize – The Emirati museum is teaming up with the watch brand Richard Mille to hold an annual exhibition featuring emerging artists who will also receive $50,000. Between four and six artists will be selected from an open call for the show, and one will be awarded the Richard Mille Art Prize. (ARTnews)

Beeple’s First Collectible Is Sold Out – Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, has released his first non-NFT collectible: a Kim Jong-Un robot figurine (or, in Beeple’s words, “A Kim frigg’n lil’ robot dude to watch over when you sleep”). The 333-edition toy is a collaboration between Beeple and Youtooz. Is it something you’ve always wanted? Too bad—it sold out hours after its release. (Youtooz)

 

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