Art Industry News: A Comanche Art Critic Defends Jimmie Durham + More Must-Read Stories

Plus, artist Alfredo Jaar reveals CIA torture chambers and London's Parliament Square gets its first female statue.

Artist Jimmie Durham attends an exhibition of his work, "Jimmie Durham: Various Items and Complaints," at the Serpentine, London, on September 30, 2015. Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Serpentine Galleries.

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, September 21.

NEED-TO-READ

Parliament Square Gets Its First Female Statue – The London square is getting its first monument to a woman: a statue of suffragist Millicent Garrett Fawcett holding a placard reading “Courage calls to courage everywhere.” When the work is unveiled next year, Wearing will also become the first female sculptor represented at the high-profile site. (New York Times)

Alfredo Jaar Reveals CIA Torture Chambers – For the Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s 40th anniversary, the Chilean artist is creating a very weighty commission: an installation of 101 conifer trees that conceal nine prison cells. Each references a secret “black site” detention facility operated by the CIA outside the US. (The Art Newspaper)

Native American Curator Paul Chaat Smith on Jimmie Durham – The Comanche author and Native art critic has defended the artist, with whom he has been friends since the ’70s, against those who dispute his Cherokee heritage. In a talk at the Walker, Smith takes a deep dive into tribal sovereignty and teased his forthcoming exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian, which explores how Native culture has infused American identity. (Walker Reader)

Carnegie International Announces First Participants – The 57th iteration of the Carnegie International, the oldest exhibition of contemporary art in North America, opens on October 12. Participating artists include Thaddeus Mosley, Joan Jonas, Art Labor, and Mimi Cherono Ng’ok. (Press release)

ART MARKET

JFK’s Speedboat Comes to Auction – Ahead of what would have been the former president’s 100th birthday, Guernsey’s will sell JFK memorabilia, including his personal 17-foot mahogany speedboat, in a sale titled “Experience Camelot!” The auction will be held September 26 at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. (Press release)

Jerome and Ellen Stern Collection Goes to Sotheby’s – More than 250 works from the collection of the late New York investor, philanthropist, and collector and his widow will be sold across ten auctions over the next eight months. The cache, estimated to sell for at least $20 million, includes work by David Smith, Marlene Dumas, and David Hammons. (TAN)

Untitled Announces 2017 Exhibitors – From December 6–10, 136 exhibitors will gather inside a beachfront tent for the sixth edition of Untitled, Miami Beach. The 41 newcomers include Havana-based gallery El Apartamento and the Tehran-based Dastan’s Basement. (Press release)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Smithsonian American Art Museum Announces New Curator – Crawford Alexander Mann III is the new curator of prints and drawings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. He previously served as curator of American art at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. (Artdaily)

MFA Houston Taps New Asian Art Curator – The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has announced the appointment of Bradly Bailey as the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao curator of Asian art. Bailey will work to expand and refine the museum’s young collection of Asian art. (Press release)

Jean Shin Honored at Pratt Awards – Artist Jean Shin, known for her site-specific installations of everyday objects, will be honored at Pratt Institute’s Alumni Achievement Awards on October 7. (Press release)

Axel Vervoordt Launches Cultural and Residential Complex – Kanaal, the complex slated to become the new home of the Axel Vervoordt Company and the Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation, is scheduled to be complete by November 30. The foundation’s inaugural exhibition will present work by ZERO and Gutai artists. (Press release)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Houston Summit to Feature Solange, Manning, and Art – The Day for Night Summit has announced a packed 2017 lineup. The third edition of the Houston event, held December 15–17, will feature talks by Chelsea Manning, Laurie Anderson, and Nadya Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot. The event will also present 18 installations by artists including Ryoji Ikeda and Matthew Schreiber. (Press release)

Canada’s Newest Museum Prepares to Open – The new Remai Modern, set to open October 21 in Saskatoon, Canada, has released details of its full opening program. The inaugural exhibition will include major installations by Lawrence Weiner, Pae White, and Haegue Yang. (Press release)

Getty Museum to Show Rediscovered Michelangelo Drawing – A rare drawing by Michelangelo will be on view at the LA museum until October 29. The drawing, titled Study of a Mourning Woman (ca. 1500-05), was part of a landmark acquisition made in July. This marks the first time the drawing has been shown in a museum since its rediscovery in 1995. (Press release)

Michelangelo Buonarroti’s
Study of a Mourning Woman, now in the collection of the Getty.


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