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 Monday, March 27.
NEED-TO-READ
Florence Invites Florida Teacher to Go Visit David IRL – Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence which is home to Michelangelo’s David, has invited Hope Carrasquilla, the principal who was pressured to resign after showing an image of the Renaissance masterpiece to a sixth-grade art class, to visit the storied sculpture. The mayor noted that he wanted to honor the principal and criticized the “ridiculous” board of the Tallahassee Classical School for confusing art with pornography. (Evening Standard)
The Most Visited Museums in 2022 – Many museums saw a rebound in the number of visitors in 2022 as travel began to resume in many parts of the world after pandemic restrictions eased. The top five most visited museums last year were Musée du Louvre, Vatican Museum, British Museum, Tate Modern, and National Museum of Korea. (The Art Newspaper)
Scalpers Have Latched Onto Sold Out Vermeer Show – Scalpers are re-selling tickets to the sold-out show at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum on eBay for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. One pair of tickets for the exhibition sold for $2,724 last week after 44 bids. Another pair sold for £1,270. A museum spokesperson stressed that it does not endorse the re-selling of tickets nor can it guarantee the validity of tickets purchased through unapproved third-party sellers. (Hyperallergic)
Art Basel Hong Kong Attendance Falls Short of 2019 – The fair concluded on Saturday with a total of 86,000 visitors, the highest attendance since the pandemic. But it still fell short of 2019’s 88,000. (Press release)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Steve McQueen Will Show His Grenfell Tower Film – The Oscar-winning filmmaker and artist will premier the 24-minute film Grenfell, which was shot in December 2017, at the Serpentine in London on April 7. Filmed from a helicopter circling the burnt-out ruin of the council block, the artist hoped that the film could help to push for justice for the disastrous blaze that caused 72 deaths nearly six years ago as no one has been held accountable as of today. (Guardian)
Demas Nwoko Awarded with Golden Lion at Venice Architecture Biennale – The Nigerian-born artist, designer, and architect received the prestigious award for his works spanning seven decades, but “whose immaterial legacy–approach, ideas, ethos–is still in the process of being evaluated, understood, and celebrated.” (Contemporary&)
Pantheon to Begin Charging Admission – The iconic cultural site will begin to charge visitors €5 ($5.28) to visit following an agreement between the city’s church and cultural officials. The proceeds will be split between the culture ministry receiving 70 percent and the Rome diocese taking the remaining 30 percent. (AP)
FOR ARTS SAKE
Tracey Emin Officially Opens Her TKE Studios and Residency – The artist’s TKE studios and TEAR artist residency project in Margate opened on March 25, with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by hundreds of people, including Margate mayor Heather Keen and council leader Ash Ashbee. It was reported that the artist acquired the site in November 2021 for £750,000 ($920,355) and has spent nearly £1million ($1.2 million) renovating and refurbishing it. (Instagram)