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 Wednesday, March 4.

NEED-TO-READ

Los Angeles Museums Respond to Coronavirus Threat – Arts institutions in Los Angeles are responding to the spread of the coronavirus on the West Coast. The Getty Trust has told its staff to cancel all planned travel to Italy, China, and South Korea, and has formed a special coronavirus task force to keep visitors and employees closely informed of developments. The Museum of Contemporary Art is also convening daily meetings of its own task force, and is communicating with other LA institutions. (LA Times)

Cuban Artist Arrested After Protesting Censorship – Cuban authorities arrested the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara on March 1 as he was on his way to a protest against the censorship of a scene from a 2018 film, which aired on national television, depicting a gay couple kissing. The artist, who is accused of property damage, will have a summary trial in 10 days. The San Isidro Movement, the activist group that was formed in opposition to the government’s censorship of the arts, says the charges are fabricated. (The Art Newspaper)

Experts Reconstruct an Ancient Egyptian Painting – A team of Egyptologists have digitally reconstructed a painting of a leopard’s face from a fragment on a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus. The big cat likely served as a guardian that would guide the deceased to the land of the dead, although it was rare for these types of images to be painted onto coffins. (Smithsonian)

ART MARKET

Casey Kaplan Is Expanding in New York – Twenty-five years after opening his first New York location, art dealer Casey Kaplan is expanding into a next-door space to add 6,500 square feet to his gallery. “I am a big believer in focusing, and I can focus by not being in London and Paris and Milan and Los Angeles,” he said. “I can do my job well when I’m paying attention to what I need to pay attention to here.” The expansion opens in September with a solo show by Kevin Beasley. (ARTnews)

Art Cologne Will Go Ahead… – The organizers of Art Cologne, which is slated to take place from April 23 to 26, have published a letter on their website stating that “preparations for our upcoming events in Cologne are continuing.” Organizers say they will “evaluate the recommendations of the responsible authorities” and monitor the situation closely. (Art Cologne)

… but a French Art Fair Has Been Postponed – Meanwhile, Lille’s contemporary art fair, Lille Art Up!, which was due to open this week, joins the swelling ranks of art fairs that are being postponed due to the disease. Some 40,000 visitors were expected to attend the event over three days, but the French government has banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people. The fair will now run from June 25 through 28. (Journal des Arts)

Art Fairs Are Pinching Smaller Dealers – A columnist for the Wall Street Journal is calling attention to the tremendous pressures that art fairs put on small and mid-sized galleries. With booth and application fees, the costs of shipping and art handling, and the expenses associated with travel and hotels, “it’s never been more difficult to keep a small or midsize gallery alive.” (Wall Street Journal)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Two Female Architects Win the 2020 Pritzker Prize – The Dublin-based architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have won the prestigious architecture prize. The pair have worked together as Grafton Architects for 40 years, designing postmodern buildings focused on “human experience” above all else. (New York Times)

A Carmen Herrera Mural Is Coming to Harlem – An abstract painting by Carmen Herrera will find its way to Upper Manhattan this May. The students of Publicolor, a youth program, will recreate her work as a large outdoor mural for the Manhattan East School for Arts and Academics, a middle school in East Harlem. (New York Times)

Swann Appoints a New Head of Modern and Post-War Art – The auction house has named Harold Porcher to the position as it plans two additional auctions of Modern and Post-war art with works by artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Zao Wou Ki. (Press release)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Folkestone Triennial Artist List Released – Curators for the fifth Creative Folkestone Triennial, set to run from September 5 through November 8, have selected 20 artists for the show, including Gilbert & George, who will contribute billboards and posters around town. (Press release)

A Giant Sweater by Erwin Wurm Now Hangs in a Medieval Church – At St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, which dates to 1147, an oversized pink sweater by the Austrian artist is, apparently, a call for more warmth and humanity. The artist, known for his comical pickle sculptures, installed the work for Lent. (Monopol)

Miley Cyrus Just Got a Matisse Tattoo – Miley Cyrus, who is apparently a big fan of the revered French modernist Henri Matisse, just had a drawing by the artist inked onto her arm. Cyrus, a tattoo aficionado, was inspired after reading a book of Leonard Cohen poems that had been illustrated by the painter, and had the tattoo done by artist Nico Bassill. (Yahoo!)

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