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, November 9.
NEED TO READ
Art Loss Register Recovers Stolen Matisse Bronze – A 1906 bronze sculpture Henri Matisse created of his daughter, Marguerite, was stolen from a Swiss museum in the early 1990s. Three decades later, the Art Loss Register was alerted to a possible match by a French auction house—and the sculpture, which had ended up in a thrift store, was recovered. (Press release)
Jerry Is Mad About Michelangelo – The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition “Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer” is a hit with Jerry Saltz. A quarter-sized, back-lit Sistine Chapel, 133 drawings, and three sculptures add up to “a stupendous metaphysical-visual exhalation,” he writes. Michelangelo, he adds, “makes the best hands in art history.” (Sorry, Rodin.) (Vulture)
How Instagram Is Changing Design – Instagram is transforming the design of streets, restaurants, stores, and now, museums. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles rearranged the mirrors in its decorative arts gallery to make mirror selfies easier, while San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art has terraces designed as selfie spots. (Smithsonian)
Kevin Spacey Cut From J Paul Getty Biopic – Christopher Plummer has been brought in to reshoot Spacey’s part in Ridley Scott’s “All The Money In The World” following allegations of harassment and abuse against Spacey. The movie tells the story of the kidnapping of the American industrialist and collector’s grandson in 1973. Plummer will now play Getty, and the release date has been pushed to December 22. (The Guardian)
ART MARKET
Buyers Don’t Trust the Market – So says the fifth Deloitte Art & Finance Report, which surveys private banks, wealth managers, and art professionals about the state of the market. The report found that 75 percent of wealth managers see the art market’s lack of transparency as a problem and 69 percent of art professionals are concerned about undisclosed conflicts of interest. (The Art Newspaper)
Art Agency, Partners Gets a Bonus – Looks like Sotheby’s art advisory arm, Art Agency, Partners, is pulling its weight. In its latest SEC filing, the auction house revealed that the agency had met its targets for “improved market share in contemporary art” and earned an additional $35 million payout over the next four years. (Art Market Monitor)
Karl Lagerfeld Dabbles in Curating – This year’s Paris Photo, which opens at the Grand Palais today, will present a selection of photos chosen by Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld. The designer has a penchant for black-and-white abstraction and André Kertész, Brancusi, and Ilse Bing. (TAN)
COMINGS & GOINGS
Meadows Museum Curator Dies at 42 – The Meadows Museum in Dallas has announced that curator Nicole Atzbach has died after a battle with ovarian cancer. Atzbach had been with the Museum since 2010 and previously worked at the Kimbell Art Museum. (Glasstire)
Josh Smith to Show at David Zwirner – The artist Josh Smith, known for his cheerful paintings of palm trees and fish, has joined the roster of mega-dealer David Zwirner. He was previously represented by Luhring Augustine, and has upcoming shows with Massimo De Carlo and Galerie Eva Presenhuber. (ARTnews)
Critic Sebastian Smee Joins the ‘Washington Post’ – The art critic and author joins the Post from the Boston Globe. The hire represents an expansion of the Post‘s arts coverage and brings the number of Pulitzer Prize-winning art critics working at the paper to two. (The paper’s other critic, Philip Kennicott, also won the prestigious accolade.) (Talking New Media)
Nelson-Atkins Beefs Up Photography Holdings – The Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City revealed that it has acquired 800 photographs over the past two years with the help of a $10 million gift from the Hall Family Foundation. The additions include work by almost 150 artists, from Robert Frank to Cindy Sherman. (New York Times)
FOR ART’S SAKE
Picasso, Dalí and Others Go on Show in Scotland – Work by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and Joan Miró will go on display at a new art gallery due to open next year in a former cotton mill in Scotland. From January to April, it will host a touring exhibition, “Artist Textiles,” that charts the history of textiles in the 21st century. (Scotsman)
The Story Behind the Underground Museum – W magazine delves into the history of the Underground Museum, founded by the late artist Noah Davis and his partner Karon Davis. In only five years, the space in multi-ethnic Arlington Heights has become one of LA’s most vital cultural institutions. Curator Helen Molesworth says: “When the history of this moment in the LA art world is written, people will say, ‘The Underground Museum? That shit was dope.’” (W Magazine)
Gilbert & George Open a Gallery for Their Art – The collaborative duo are opening their own space in a 3,000-square-foot former brewery in Brick Lane in London. They claim they struck out on their own because the Tate will not show their works—though they did do a show at Tate Modern in 2007. (Evening Standard)
Madame Tussauds Unveils Wax Figure of British PM – With a guarantee that it’s “strong and stable,” Madame Tussauds London has unveiled a new waxwork of Prime Minister Theresa May. The figure is depicted stepping out on the Downing Street set, next to other world leaders including Trump and Angela Merkel, and will be available for selfies on Friday. (Press release)
Theresa May figure at Madame Tussauds London. Courtesy Madame Tussauds.
Theresa May figure at Madame Tussauds London. Courtesy Madame Tussauds.
Theresa May figure at Madame Tussauds London. Courtesy Madame Tussauds.
Theresa May figure at Madame Tussauds London. Courtesy Madame Tussauds.