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 12.

NEED TO READ

U.S. Museums Free Deaccessioning Period Has Ended – The two-year period permitting museums to spend money generated from the sale of art on operating costs rather than the acquisition of other art is over. The somewhat controversial policy, which expired on April 12, was designed to ease the financial burden on institutions during the pandemic. Now, the Association of Art Museum Directors has confirmed plans to revert to the original rules. (The Art Newspaper)

A Violin Aims for an Auction Record – All eyes may be on Christie’s art sales this week, but the “da Vinci” Stradivarius, a violin owned by Russian virtuoso Toscha Seidel, is looking to set its own record this month. The instrument—the first Stradivarius from the so-called “golden age of violin making” to be sold publicly in decades—will be on offer from online auction house Tarisio from May 18 through June 9. The house hopes it will make $20 million. (New York Times)

Bob Dylan Unveils Largest-Ever Sculpture – It’s a busy time for Bob Dylan. On the heels of the opening of the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, the artist and musician has unveiled Rail Car, a monumental sculpture built from about seven tons of iron and installed on train tracks at Château La Coste in Provence. Dylan said the artwork “represents perception and reality at the same time … all the iron is recontextualized to represent peace, serenity and stillness.” of railway is a frequent motif in Dylan’s work, including his 1979 song Slow Train. (Guardian)

Mexico Calls to Halt Sale of Pre-Hispanic Artifacts – Alejandra Frausto, Mexico’s secretary of culture, called on the French auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr to stop the sale of 30 pre-Hispanic artifacts originally scheduled to take place on May 13 because the works “are part of the cultural wealth of Mexico.” This represents the latest in a string of efforts on the part of Mexico to reclaim its cultural heritage. (ARTnews)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kamel Mennour Names Artistic Director – Christian Alandete, formerly the artistic director of the Giacometti Institute in Paris, has joined Kamel Mennour gallery as its new artistic director. Alandete has co-curated exhibitions dedicated to Alberto Giacometti around the world. (Press release)

Rubell Museum Gets an Opening Date – The long-awaited Washington, D.C., museum built by the Miami-based collecting couple Don and Mera Rubell will finally open its doors to the public on October 29. The museum, located in a former junior high school, will house more than 7,400 works by more than 1,000 artists as well as galleries, a bookstore, and a cafe. (DCist)

Allison Glenn Joins the Public Art Fund – The closely watched curator, who organized “Promise, Witness, Remembrance” for the Speed Art Museum in Louisville last year, will start a new gig as senior curator at the New York-based art institution on May 16. She succeeds Daniel S. Palmer, who joined the SCAD Museum of Art as chief curator earlier this year. (ARTnews)

FOR ARTS SAKE

A Look Inside the Hong Kong Palace Museum – The controversial institution housing the collection of Beijing’s Palace Museum is set to open in the West Kowloon Cultural District this summer to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China. The exact date is yet to be announced—but the tentative plan to charge admission fees has been slammed by state-owned media. (South China Morning Post, Ta Kung Pao)

The Hong Kong Palace Museum. (Photo by Li Zhihua/China News Service via Getty Images)

The Hong Kong Palace Museum ahead of its opening. (Photo by PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)