BEST?
Frieze Warms Up to the West Coast – The inaugural edition of Frieze LA kicked off with swift sales and mega-watt star power as Hollywood celebrities and artists commingled at Paramount Studios during the fair’s VIP preview.
Rembrandt’s Reunion – For the very first time, all 400 works by Rembrandt in the Rijksmuseum’s collection are united in a landmark exhibition, which is allowing visitors to see the painter’s coup de grace, The Night Watch, before it is restored.
A Treasure Hunter Hit the Jackpot – A metal-detectorist who struck pay dirt last year when he unearthed an ancient Celtic chariot in Wales is expected to get a six- or seven-figure reward for his staggering discovery.
Laurie Anderson Snags a Grammy – Artist and musician Laurie Anderson won a Grammy for her performance of Landfall, which she created in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation.
Lisson Expands in the East – Lisson Gallery is making its mark on the Asian market with a new gallery set to open in Shanghai at the end of March featuring works by Richard Long, Marina Abramović, Shirazeh Houshiary, and Tatsuo Miyajima.
The Artist Who Hacked Frieze – Artist Gretchen Andrew wanted her paintings to be seen during Frieze’s fair in Los Angeles, so she hijacked search engine algorithms to supersede the fair’s Google presence with her own work.
Christie’s Returns Ill-Gotten Gains – Ahead of a sale at Christie’s, the auction house pulled eight artworks and returned them to Italy after its government requested their return, saying they were stolen some time after 1966.
Artists Foundations Are a Force– More contemporary artists are planning for the future by establishing foundations and donating proceeds from their sales to cultural initiatives, a new report finds.
A Renaissance Mail Man – In remembrance of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, the Royal Mail is issuing stamps bearing the likeness of the Renaissance master’s artworks.
WORST?
Losing a Pioneering Minimalist – The painter Robert Ryman died at the age of 88 on February 8. Ryman’s white-on-white canvases were far from simple, and represented the Minimalist reaction to the action painting of Abstract Expressionism.
Mary Boone Sentenced to Prison – The art gallerist was sentenced to 30 months in prison for filing false tax returns in a verdict that shocked many members of the art community.
Nan Goldin’s Surprise Protest – Nan Goldin and her activist group P.A.I.N. staged a surprise “die-in” at the Guggenheim Museum to protest funding from members of the Sackler family who are involved in the manufacturing of oxycontin. The group of more than 100 people also marched to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for another protest opposing that institution’s relationship with the Sacklers.
Tate’s Neighbors Lose – Residents of the luxury apartment buildings next to the Tate Modern lost their legal battle to remove a viewing platform at the museum that they said was infringing on their privacy.