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 27.
NEED-TO-READ
Plans Unveiled for New Pinault Museum – Japanese architect Tadao Ando will install a giant concrete cylinder in the former Paris stock exchange set to house the $1.14 billion art collection assembled by luxury-goods magnate (and Christie’s owner) François Pinault. (The Guardian)
Modigliani Gets Virtual Reality Treatment at Tate Modern – The largest UK exhibition of Modigliani’s work will include VR headsets that immerse exhibition-goers in early 20th-century Paris, where the artist lived. This marks the first time Tate has used such technology in a major show. (BBC News)
Does the International Art Market Help Fund Terrorism? – Officials from the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Smithsonian testified before Congress last Friday that collectors are contributing to terrorism by purchasing stolen cultural artifacts from war zones—but it remains unclear exactly how much money ISIS receives from such transactions. (Insidesources.com)
Met Museum President to Write a Book on Vietnam – Daniel H. Weiss, who just recently became head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is also moonlighting as an author: He will pen a book about America during the Vietnam era, scheduled to be finished over the next year. (New York Times)
Chinese Painting Hotspot Faces Shifting Economy – Dafen in Shenzen, the Chinese city that has long been known for reproducing famous paintings that end up in hotels, homes, and showrooms around the world, is undergoing an identity crisis as copy-art is seeing a boom elsewhere in China. At its peak, Dafen was said to produce 60 percent of the world’s paintings. (Artsy)
ART MARKET
Vienna Contemporary Announces 2017 Exhibitors – Considered a gateway to the Eastern European art scene, the Viennese art fair will feature over 100 galleries this year and will have two special sections focusing on art from Hungary and Nordic countries. (Vienna Contemporary)
Palais de Tokyo Plans Satellite Exhibition at Expo Chicago – Thirteen artists will contribute new and existing works that explore the links between art and architecture. They will be shown in the Roundhouse during the sixth edition of the Expo Chicago fair from September 13–17. (ARTnews)
Alexander Gray Adds Valeska Soares to Roster – The New York gallery will now represent the Brazilian installation artist, whose work is held in permanent public collections at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Guggenheim Museum and Tate Modern, among others. (ARTnews)
COMINGS & GOINGS
Curator for Second Yinchuan Biennale Announced – The artistic director of Milan’s FM Center for Contemporary Art, Marco Scotini, will curate the second edition of the biennale at the Museum of Contemporary Art Yinchuan, in north-central China. (Press release)
Julia Joern Leaves David Zwirner Gallery – After a decade that saw the gallery grow internationally and launch a publishing arm, gallery partner Julia Joern has resigned, citing health reasons. (ARTnews)
2017 Jarman Award Shortlist Announced – The moving image artists shortlisted for the prestigious award are Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Oreet Ashery, Adham Faramawy, Melanie Manchot, Charlotte Prodger, and Marianna Simnett. All six will tour their work around the UK and the winner, announced November 20, will receive a £10,000 prize. (Press release)
FOR ART’S SAKE
High Museum Acquires Kara Walker Work Inspired by 2015 Charleston Shootings – The Atlanta museum has acquired a 60-foot-wide cut-paper silhouette depicting the Confederate Memorial Carving on the face of Georgia’s Stone Mountain. Walker’s version, titled The Jubilant Martyrs of Obsolescence and Ruin (2015), features a lynched and naked man astride a rearing horse. (Burnaway.org)
Andrew Wyeth’s Paintings Debut on Stamps – On July 12, the Postal Service will commemorate the centennial of the American artist’s birth by issuing a dozen Forever Stamps illustrated with his most famous paintings. (Press release)
Sculpture in the City Returns to London’s Square Mile – See the contemporary works from international artists selected for this year’s public art program. The collaboration between businesses and the City of London Corporation launches on June 27 and will feature 16 works. (Press release)
Nathaniel Rackowe, Black Shed Expanded (2014/2016). Photo: © Nick Turpin, courtesy Sculpture in the City.
Mark Wallinger, The Black Horse (2015). Photo: © Nick Turpin, courtesy Sculpture in the City.
Mhairi Vari, Support for a Cloud (2016). Photo: © Nick Turpin, courtesy Sculpture in the City.