A close-up of a child's hand—not Xeo Chu's, we haven't gotten those images yet—holding a paint brush at St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School in Wales on March 19, 2020. Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images.
A close-up of a child's hand—not Xeo Chu's, we haven't gotten those images yet—holding a paint brush at St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School in Wales on March 19, 2020. Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images.

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 Thursday, April 7.

NEED TO READ

Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Pledges $2.5 Million to Ukrainian Artists – The New York-based foundation will allocate the money to international organizations working to protect at-risk artists and cultural heritage in Ukraine. The foundation will team up with PEN America and the World Monuments Fund to identify those most in need of funds. (ARTnews)

FotoFocus Will Open New Ohio Arts Center – The photography biennial will open a year-round center in a new two-story building in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The 14,700-square-foot space, which will house photography-related exhibitions, screenings, and public programs, is scheduled to open in 2024. (Artforum)

A 14-Year-Old’s Painting Show Makes Waves in London – The Vietnamese art prodigy Xeo Chu, whose colorful paintings with price tags of up to $150,000 have been compared to those of Jackson Pollock, is making his London debut with the exhibition “Big World Seen From Little Eyes” at D Contemporary. Despite having sold both physical works and NFTs worldwide and successfully raising money for charity, the 14-year-old isn’t sure he wants to become a painter when he grows up. “I’m just a kid,” he says. “Who knows if I will still be painting.” (Guardian)

Rodin’s Thinker Heads to Christie’s – A posthumous cast of The Thinker, Auguste Rodin’s most famous sculpture, is headed to Christie’s Paris on June 30. The work carries an estimate of €9 million to €14 million ($9.8 million to $15.3 million). It is the top lot in a larger sale devoted to a Parisian collection of 238 items, including works by Marc Chagall and Yves Klein, that is expected to make as much as €40 million ($43.7 million). (The Art Newspaper)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Veronica Roberts to Direct the Cantor Arts Center – The curator of modern and contemporary art at the Blanton Museum of Art at University of Texas at Austin will begin her new role at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center on July 5. Her predecessor, Susan Dackerman, resigned after an investigation into complaints of a toxic workplace. (Press release)

Mendes Wood DM Is Coming to Tribeca – The Brazilian gallery is joining the influx of art dealers to Tribeca. It will open its new exhibition space at 47 Walker Street with a solo presentation of work by Brazilian artist Paulo Nazareth from May 6 to June 10. Mendes Wood previously operated a smaller space on the Upper East Side. (Press release)

Helena Anrather to Open New Space – In other New York gallery news, the beloved Chinatown gallery is moving to a new location at 132 Bowery in Lower Manhattan, which debut on April 16 with a solo presentation of Pictures Generation artist Julia Wachtel, who has been added to the gallery’s roster. (Press release)

Art Basel’s Paris+ Gets Its First Satellite Fair – Asia Now, a fair dedicated to west and central Asian art, will present its eighth edition from October 21 to 23, with a preview on October 20, at La Monnaie de Paris. It coincides with the new Paris+ by Art Basel. (Press release)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Ikea and H&M Launch “Ideas Factory” in London – The two world-famous Swedish retailers are forming a joint venture called Atelier 100. The project, which opens in London’s Hammersmith in May, asks creatives and producers to submit ideas for projects in the realms of art, fashion, and music. Successful applicants will receive funding of up to £10,000 ($13,084) to scale their ideas into salable products. (Guardian)