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 Wednesday, November 30.
NEED-TO-READ
Royal Society of Art Staff Vote to Unionize – Demands include making the Royal Society a more diverse organization, having a transparent pay structure, and a cost of living pay increase. The move was vigorously opposed by the senior management team. (Guardian)
Leonardo DiCaprio Eyes Art and Parties in Miami – The actor was spotted, masked up, at the Miami Beach Convention Center for Art Basel, perusing works by Patrizio di Massimo and Grayson Perry. He was also seen enjoying the dj set by Jamie xx and holding court at a celebration for Stone Island’s 40th anniversary on Tuesday. (Page Six, Page Six)
An Indianapolis Art Fair for Black Artists – The two-year-old Indy organization GANGGANG is on a mission to spotlight Black artists by staging events, shows, and the Butter Art Fair, which this year featured nearly 50 artists and reported more than $250,000 in sales. “With Butter, I feel seen,” said painter Ashley Nora, 33, who had work at the fair and got her first mural commission from GANGGANG last year. (New York Times)
Founders of Artist and Allies Arrested in Hebron – Issa Amro was arrested by Israeli Security Forces at Ja’abara, near Hebron. The co-founder (together with photographer Adam Bromberg) of Artists and Allies x Hebron, a counter-surveillance, anti-settlement project, was been called in to answer questions about a video he recorded and shared online of an Israeli soldier brutally beating an Israeli activist. Amro remains in Israeli custody and is due to appear in Ofer Military Court on November 30. (Press release)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Rijksmuseum Upgrades Vermeers – Curator Pieter Roelofs quipped that doubts about Girl With a Flute “will disappear during the flight over the ocean,” given that the painting, recently downgraded to “School of Vermeer” by the National Gallery in Washington, DC, will be shown as the real thing in Amsterdam. (The Art Newspaper)
Stolen Sculpture From Frieze Sculpture Recovered – A sculpture by artist duo John Wood and Paul Harrison, conceived of to appear “a bit like the signs you see in a park,” was briefly stolen from Regent’s Park. The work was recovered by friends of the artist. (TAN)
Medieval Ring Sells for Almost $40,000 – A 14th-century piece of jewelry believed to have been the wedding ring gifted to Lady Joan Brook by Sir Thomas Brook sold for nearly $40,000. The ring was discovered in 2019 by a metal detectorist, and authenticated by the British Museum. (Evening Standard)
Sydney Modern Opens to the Public – This Saturday, the newly transformed Art Gallery of New South Wales will reopen to the public, signaling the culmination of the years-long Sydney Modern Project. The new building overlooks the Sydney Harbor and provides nearly twice as much exhibition space. (Designboom)
Amoako Boafo Will Have a Solo at Gagosian – Boafo’s painting Brides Reflection (2021) will be shown for the first time at Gagosian’s stand, marking a new partnership between the star and the mega-gallery. His first solo show in New York is planned for Gago’s Madison Avenue headquarters in March 2023. (TAN)
FOR ART’S SAKE
National Gallery in London Unveils Restored Christmas Scene – Piero della Francesca’s Nativity, from the early 1480s, will go back on view on December 1. The three wise men have been restored thanks to 15 months of conservation work. (TAN)
The Nativity by Piero del Fransesca before restoration. Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images