Art Industry News: Mick Jagger Joins Top Museum Directors in Calling on Italy to Save Venice From Its Tourists + Other Stories

Mick Jagger at the 76th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 7, 2019 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Matteo Chinellato/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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, June 3.

NEED-TO-READ

Kymberly Pinder Chosen to Lead the Yale School of Art – Pinder, a Yale graduate and the acting president of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), has been named the new dean of the Yale School of Art, arguably the country’s top art school. She will begin her new role on July 1. She is the first woman of color and the second woman ever (after her predecessor, Marta Kuzma) to hold the august position. (ARTnews)

On the Importance of Art at HBCUs – Jessica Lynne pens a tribute to museums at historically Black colleges and universities, which have stewarded Black cultural production for more than 150 years—long before mainstream (i.e., white) institutions were investing in the work of Black creators. They should be understood, she writes, “as integral to any assessment of contemporary visual art tout court.” (Artforum)

Boldface Names Unite to Protect Venice From Cruise Ships – Guggenheim Museum director Richard Armstrong, MFA Houston director Gary Tinterow, artist Anish Kapoor, and even Mick Jagger have signed on to an open letter calling on Italy’s leaders to safeguard Venice as tourists begin returning to the city. Despite earlier reports that the floating city had approved a new, less intrusive route for cruise ships, the first post-lockdown tourist-packed vessel will sail past St. Mark’s Square on Saturday, according to Italian press. (The Art Newspaper)

Painting Stolen From Rouen Museum – The wealthy French museum has reported the theft of a painting by Flemish artist Otto van Veen, who once taught Peter Paul Rubens. Virtue Escapes Time, which is estimated to be worth €30,000, has been missing since May 23. Since there are no signs of a break-in, police suspect someone may have simply walked out of the museum with the small painting tucked out of sight. (News 24)

ART MARKET

Sotheby’s Organizes a Burning Man Auction – Today in unlikely partnerships, Sotheby’s is teaming up with Burning Man to offer artworks and experiences that will raise money for the nonprofit that produces the annual event in Black Rock City. Burning Man-related sculptures, collectibles, costumes, NFTs, and something called “mutant vehicles” will all be open for bidding beginning early October. (Press release)

Bonhams Taps Christie’s Veteran to Lead in Hong Kong – Marcello Kwan, former vice president and head of contemporary Asian art at Christie’s Hong Kong, has defected to Bonhams to serve as head of modern and contemporary art in Asia. Kwan will lead a group of regional specialists and build out a curatorial program for the house in Hong Kong. (ARTnews)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Gwangju Biennale Chief Leaves Amid Labor Dispute – The Gwangju Biennale Foundation has declined to renew the contract of its president, Sunjung Kim, following a dispute with the biennial’s labor union, which has accused Kim of abusing and unfairly dismissing staff. (Art Asia Pacific)

Nevada Museum to Research Land Art – The Nevada Museum will examine the legacy of land art for its fifth triennial Art and Environment Conference. “Land Art: Past, Present, Futures,” which was originally scheduled to take place last year, has grown from a weekend conference into a two-month affair, running from September 23 to November 19. (The Art Newspaper)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Mary Wollstonecraft Statue Artist Still Surprised People Didn’t Love It – Artist Maggi Hambling remains “surprised” by the criticism of her idealized nude sculpture honoring the pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft in London. “There has been nude sculpture for time immemorial,” she said. (Evening Standard)

Ellsworth Kelly Comes to the Rijksmuseum – The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has installed monumental sculptures by the late American artist Ellsworth Kelly in its gardens for the summer. The charming exhibition of works never before shown in the Netherlands runs from June 5 through October 24. (Press release)