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 Wednesday, June 6.
NEED-TO-READ
documenta 14 Artists Support Injured Greek Mayor – More than 120 artists and curators who took part in documenta 14 have written an open letter to condemn the assault of Yannis Boutaris, the 75-year-old mayor of Thessaloniki, by a far-right mob in northern Greece on May 19. They praised his support of the city’s Turkish, Jewish, and LGBTQ communities, and his collaboration on the recent exhibition. (Artforum)
Teen Found Guilty of British Museum Terror Plan – An 18-year-old from south London has been convicted of plotting an attack at the British Museum. Safaa Boular is Britain’s youngest convicted female Islamic State terrorist. (BBC)
Jennifer Lawrence Is Dating an Art Dealer – Page Six excitedly reports that the movie star’s “new secret boyfriend” is the “dashing New York gallerist” Cooke Maroney. Currently a director of Gladstone Gallery, he previously worked at Gagosian. The pair has reportedly been seeing each other for a few weeks. Gallery dinners possibly just got a lot more exciting! (Page Six)
Google Highlights Iraqi Heritage in Peril – The tech giant and the World Monuments Fund in New York have teamed up to launch a series of online exhibitions to raise awareness of cultural heritage at risk in Iraq. Stories of destruction and reconstruction are illustrated by drone footage, 3D models, and videos. (The Art Newspaper)
ART MARKET
Leslie Hindman Auctions Names New Chief Exec – Thomas Galbraith is taking over from Leslie Hindman as CEO of the company she founded, while she will become chair of the board. Galbraith previously worked as artnet’s director of global strategy and as interim CEO for the Google Ventures startup Twyla. The auction house recently received an investment from a private equity firm designed to fund large-scale growth. (ARTnews)
Sotheby’s Takes Greece to Court Over Antiquity – In an unusual move, the auction house and the family of the late collectors Howard and Saretta Barnet are suing the Greek government after its ministry of culture objected to the sale of an ancient Greek statuette of a horse. The cover lot was withdrawn from Sotheby’s New York sale on May 14. Records show that the disgraced British dealer Robin Symes had handled the antiquity. (Financial Times)
Paul Smeets Named Chair of Paintings by TEFAF Maastricht – The chairman of the Rob Smeets Old Master Paintings Gallery in Geneva has taken over from Konrad Bernheimer as the chairman of painting for the fair. He has also joined the TEFAF’s executive committee. (Press release)
Did an Ivory Ban U-Turn Swing the UK Election? – The UK’s former Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, says that a tougher ban on ivory was omitted at the last minute from the 2017 Conservative manifesto—a decision he believes contributed to the government’s disappointing election results. (Evening Standard)
COMINGS & GOINGS
Tate Britain Appoints Director of Exhibitions and Displays – The German-born curator Andrea Schlieker will assume her new post at Tate in September. Previously, she served as director of commissions and external projects at White Cube and the founding curator of the Folkestone Triennial. (Press release)
Freelands Announces New Funding – Elisabeth Murdoch’s Freelands Artist Program has chosen four galleries to share £1.5 million ($2 million) in grants to promote new talent. They are G39 in Cardiff, Wales; PS2 (Paragon Studios / Project Space) in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Site Gallery, Sheffield; and Talbot Rice Gallery at the University of Edinburgh. (Press release)
Iceland Taps Shoplifter to Steal the Show at Venice Biennale – Shoplifter is the alias of Icelandic, Brooklyn-based artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, who has been selected to represent her native country at the 2019 Venice Biennale. The 50-year-old artist is known for creating monumental installations with artificial and real hair. (ARTnews)
Weisman Art Museum Chief Steps Down – Lyndel King has announced plans to step down in June 2020 after 40 years as the museum’s director and chief curator. Under her leadership, the museum at the University of Minnesota moved to a new Frank Gehry-designed home. (Press release)
FOR ART’S SAKE
Oprah Gets Her Own Smithsonian Show – The National Museum of African American History and Culture has opened “Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture,” a year-long exhibition celebrating the media titan. She is one of the Washington, DC, museum’s longstanding supporters and biggest donors. (Glamour)
Kiki Smith Takes Over New York City Synagogue – The artist has filled the Museum at Eldridge Street, a converted former synagogue in New York’s Lower East Side, with 50 enchanting works. Gold leaf-covered birds perch on aluminum chairs that hang in front of a stained glass window, while wooden sculptures line the pews. (Hyperallergic)
V&A East Gets Downsized, But Gains a Fashionable Twist – The fashion house Balenciaga is the inspiration for the newly redesigned V&A East, destined to open in London’s forthcoming cultural quarter East Bank. The design will be swathed in a dress-like outer layer. The branch will take up less space than previously planned, however, because the designs must preserve skyline views of St Paul’s Cathedral. (Evening Standard)
Royal Academicians Flags Fly Across London’s Mayfair – To celebrate its 250th birthday, the Royal Academy is flying arty flags above the streets of Mayfair. They have been designed by four Academicians: Grayson Perry, Cornelia Parker, Rose Wylie, and 90-year-old Pop art pioneer Joe Tilson, whose Venice-inspired flags flutter above Regents Street. (Instagram)