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 Thursday, May 19.

NEED-TO-READ

Ernie Barnes Estate Gets Gallery Representation – That was quick! A week after Barnes’s painting became the hit of Christie’s contemporary art sale, the estate of the artist has gained new representation: New York-based galleries Andrew Kreps and Ortuzar Projects. Barnes’s The Sugar Shack (1976) sold to entrepreneur Bill Perkins for $15.3 million, 75 times its $150,000-to-$200,000 estimate. (ARTnews)

The Brooklyn Museum Makes Over Its 19th-Century Galleries – With a show of 89 works called “Monet to Morisot: The Real and Imagined in European Art,” the New York museum is re-evaluating its collection through a contemporary lens. “Like most U.S. collections built during the 19th and 20th centuries,” the wall text reads, “the Brooklyn Museum’s European holdings from this period consist primarily of works by white male artists, with only a handful by women artists and none by artists of color.” (New York Times)

Actor Seth Green Got His NFTs Stolen – Celebrities—they’re just like us. Seth Green, known for his turn in Austin Powers, revealed he lost four Bored Apes in a phishing attack. “Well frens it happened to me. Got phished and had 4NFT stolen,” he tweeted. Green made a plea directly to user DarkWings84, who seems to have bought one of the missing works: “@DarkWing84 looks like you bought my stolen ape- hit me up so we can fix it.” Trading of the four NFTs has now been disabled, though their dollar value is hard to determine given the fluctuation in ETH. (ARTnews)

Veronica Ryan Gets the Profile Treatment – The New York Times sits down with Veronica Ryan, the 65-year-old British sculptor and 2022 Turner Prize nominee whose work is included in the current Whitney Biennial and the subject of a solo show at Paula Cooper in Chelsea. “The work is a kind of therapy, but it is more,” she said. “It is a way of understanding one’s interior self vis-à-vis the world.” (NYT)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

National Air & Space Museum Names Director – Christopher Browne, who has served as the Smithsonian museum’s acting director since January 2021, will officially take the reins. He had a decorated career in the Navy before stints in airport management at both Reagan National and Dulles. He joined the museum as deputy director in 2017. (WTOP)

CalArts Has a New Chair – Charmaine Jefferson will take over as board chair of California Institute of the Arts from Tom Disney, who served in the role for eight years. Jefferson, an experienced arts administrator, was executive director of the California African American Museum from 2003 to 2014. (Los Angeles Times)

Gurr Johns Launches Art Lending Arm – The art advisory and appraisal firm is launching a new division called Gurr Johns Capital, which will offer loans to individuals, galleries, companies, and institutions designed to increase liquidity, finance acquisitions, or simply bridge a cash flow need. Alessandro Fiorotto will head up the new business. (The Art Newspaper)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Marcus Jahmal Drops First NFT – The Brooklyn-based artist is getting in on the NFT game with a release of 3-D skulls with the Web3 platform Lobus. They are on offer for a presale price of .08 ETH and a public price of .1 ETH. They come in seven shapes: Sketchy, Hangry, Cheeky, Stoner, Drunko, Slimey, and Grimey; each is “made” out of a different material, including diamond and kryptonite. The launch is planned for May 26. (Press release)

Marcus Jahmal’s drop. Courtesy Lobus.