Plus, Christie's will auction Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe and big corporations pull funding from a Shakespeare production with Donald Trump as Julius Caesar.
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, June 13.
The Getty Buys $31 Million Parmigianino – The LA museum has acquired Parmigianino’s The Virgin and Child with Saint Mary Magdalene and the Infant St John the Baptist (1535–40) in a private sale handled by Sotheby’s. The painting, one of the finest by artist in private hands, had been in the UK for nearly 250 years. (The Art Newspaper)
Frank Lloyd Wright Hated New York – Bad news for New Yorkers: The world famous architect, the man behind the iconic Guggenheim museum on Fifth Avenue, thought the city’s legendary skyline is “a race for rent, and […] a great monument I think to the power of money and greed.” (New York Times)
Artists Defend Shakespeare in the Park – The Public Theater’s controversial production of Julius Ceasar for New York’s Shakespeare in the Park, featuring a very Trump-esque leader, has caused quite a stir. Artists and organizations have defended the play, but Delta Air Lines and Bank of America have both pulled their sponsorships. (Huffington Post)
Sydney’s Premier Museum Expansion Is Mired in Dispute – The New York Times investigates the stalled expansion project of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, called the Sydney Modern Project, as well as the dispute’s implications for both the museum and the city’s cultural scene. (New York Times)
Christie’s Will Auction Audrey Hepburn’s Wardrobe – Come September, pieces from the late movie star’s closet, including a Burberry trench coat and Givenchy cocktail dress, will go up for auction for the first time, along with her copies of film scripts, photographs, and other memorabilia. (Harper’s Bazaar)
On Stellar Rays Will Relaunch as Stellar Projects – Owner Candice Madey will close the gallery, but continue to represent artists with the new, appointment-only, Stellar Projects, which will be located on the second floor of 1 Rivington Street. (ARTnews)
Max Beckmann Leads €20.5 Million Sale at Ketterer Kunst – Beckmann’s 1936 oil painting Château d’If went to a collector from Baden-Württemburg for €1.7 million at the 20th and 21st century sale, more than doubling the work’s low estimate. (Press release)
LACMA Adds Three New Members to Board – Allison Berg, art collector and philanthropist; Troy Carter, a venture capitalist; and Carter Reum, co-founder of an investment firm, have been announced as the new trustees on the board. (ARTnews)
Bill Viola Named Honorary Member of the RCA – London’s Royal Academy of Arts has elected the artist as one of 80 who are Royal Academicians. The title is awarded once a year to artists who live and work outside of the UK. (ArtFixDaily)
Recipients of the 2017 Swiss Art Award Announced – A hefty eleven artists have won the 2017 Swiss Art Award, which includes a prize of approximately $25,790. Tobias Madison and Anne Hildbrand are among those who made the cut. (Artforum)
One documenta 14 Artwork Had a Rough Opening Weekend – Antonio Vega Macelota’s Mill of Blood (2017), a wooden mill installed outside the Orangerie in Kassel, designed to be turned collectively by visitors, was already out of commission by Monday. It now stands still, awaiting repair. (HNA)
LA’s Broad Museum Will Host Jasper Johns Retrospective – Traveling from London’s Royal Academy to Los Angeles next February, the exhibition spans six decades, and marks Johns’s first major survey in the area since 1965. (New York Times)
Ai Weiwei’s Iron Trees Installed Outside the Israel Museum – On the occasion of his major show at the museum in Jerusalem, two of Ai’s iconic Iron Trees, each weighing 14 tons, have been installed in the sculpture garden. (Designboom)
Daniel Buren Designed an Installation for London Tube – The new commissions unveiled at the Tottenham Court Road station include two new designs for the entrances, and a ticket hall immersed in Buren’s signature colorful geometries. Here are some views from the permanent installation:
Daniel Buren with his installation at the Tottenham Court Road tube station. Photo by Benedict Johnson.
Daniel Buren, The Big Wall, Up and Down, Blue, Green, Orange, Red, Yellow, in “Diamonds and Circles”, permanent work in situ, 2008-2016. Detail ©DB-ADAGP Paris / Photo by Thierry Bal.
Daniel Buren, The Big Wall, Up and Down, Blue, Green, Orange, Red, Yellow, in “Diamonds and Circles”, permanent work in situ, 2008-2016. Detail ©DB-ADAGP Paris / Photo by Thierry Bal.
