Art Industry News: The FBI Is Investigating the Authenticity of 25 Basquiat Artworks on View at a Florida Museum + Other Stories

Plus, Ukrainian Eurovision winners auction off their trophy and Dua Lipa gets a private tour of the Uffizi.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (One More King /Czar) (1982). Courtesy of the OMA.

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 Monday, May 30.

NEED-TO-READ

Boy Thrown from Tate Modern Able to Celebrate His Birthday – The young boy who was thrown from Tate Modern’s viewing balcony in 2019 has been able to celebrate his birthday with some friends for the first time since the attack. In an update on his recovery on a GoFundMe page, his family said that he was able to invite some classmates and a friend to visit, and that he is now able to stand more upright and has regained movement in his left ankle. (Guardian)

Pillar of Shame Moved to Prague Ahead of Tiananmen Anniversary – Artist Jens Galschiøt is mounting a version of his Pillar of Shame memorial, a monument in remembrance of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, in Prague on June 4 to mark the 33rd anniversary of the event. The piece will be set up in connection with an exhibition of dissident Chinese artist Badiucao at the Doxs Museum, also in Prague. (Press release)

F.B.I. Is Investigating the Basquiats on View at OMA – The FBI’s art crime squad is investigating 25 paintings alleged to be made by Basquiat, which are on view at the Orlando Museum of Art. The previously unknown works on cardboard went on view in the exhibition “Heroes & Monsters” after their owners claimed to have uncovered them in a Los Angeles storage unit in 2012, though experts have thrown their authenticity into question. The bureau has issued a subpoena to the museum demanding “any and all” communications between employees and the owners of the artwork, who have previously stated in interviews that they were trying to sell the works. (New York Times)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Ukraine Eurovision Winners Auctioned off Their Trophy – Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian act that won the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month, auctioned off their crystal microphone trophy on Facebook. The band raised $900,000, which they will put towards Ukrainian war efforts. (BBC)

Harlem’s Studio Museum Names Curator-at Large – The Studio Museum in Harlem has created a new role of curator-at-large. Amber Esseiva will be the first appointee, arriving to the institution from the Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University. (Artforum)

Speed Art Museum Gets a New Curator – The Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, has appointed Tyler Blackwell as curator of contemporary art. Blackwell, who comes from the Blaffer Art Museum in Texas, will take up the post beginning in August. (Press release)

Monet’s Waterloo Bridge Hits the Block – Christie’s will offer the Impressionist painting of Waterloo Bridge at its London evening sale on June 28. Waterloo Bridge, Effet de Brume, is estimated to sell for at least £24 million ($30 million). (Guardian)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Dua Lipa Visited the Uffizi – Singer Dua Lipa took a break after her concerts in Milan and Bologna to visit the Uffizi in Florence for the first time. Museum director Eike Schmidt treated Dua and her entourage to a two-hour tour of the famous gallery. (Press release)

Museum director Eike Schmidt leads a tour of the Uffizi Galleries for pop star Dua Lipa. Courtesy the Uffizi Galleries.

Museum director Eike Schmidt leads a tour of the Uffizi Galleries for pop star Dua Lipa. Courtesy the Uffizi Galleries.

Museum director Eike Schmidt leads a tour of the Uffizi Galleries for pop star Dua Lipa. Courtesy the Uffizi Galleries

Museum director Eike Schmidt leads a tour of the Uffizi Galleries for pop star Dua Lipa. Courtesy the Uffizi Galleries


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