VIEWER’S CHOICE
Another crisis for Koons! On top of the two pricey plagiarism suits recently filed against him (see Jeff Koons Sued for Plagiarism and Second Plagiarism Claim Against Jeff Koons in Two Weeks), a show of his large-scale sculptures slated for the Louvre has been cancelled. The exhibition was meant to complement his current retrospective at the Centre Pompidou. A Pompidou spokesman said the cancellation was due to a lack of funding. For the full story, see Jeff Koons’s Louvre Show Cancelled—Good.
ART GOES TO HOLLYWOOD
The United Talent Agency, a top Hollywood talent agency that represents the likes of Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, announced the launch of a new division, UTA Fine Arts. Headed by art lawyer Joshua Roth, it will represent contemporary visual artists in endeavors like locating funding for projects, signing corporate sponsorships and marketing contracts, and even breaking into the movie business. Wonder how the gallerists are feeling about all this? Read Hollywood Agency Announces Plans to Represent Visual Artists—Guess Who?
MISSING MASTERPIECES
A Leonardo da Vinci oil painting—long believed to be lost forever—was seized this week by Swiss authorities from a bank vault in Lugano. They followed the orders of Italian authorities, which claimed it had been illegally removed from Italy. The portrait of the Marchesa of Mantua Isabella d’Este had become something of an urban legend among art historians, some even doubting its very existence. Want the rest of the story on this major win for the history of art? See $170 Million Leonardo da Vinci Seized from Swiss Bank Vault.
DUSTHEADS
The New York Times outed financier Jho Low as the buyer of Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s Dustheads, which fetched $48.8 million at Christie’s in May 2013. The information about the purchase came from two sources “familiar with Mr. Low’s activities in the art world.” For more on the mega-purchase, check out Malaysian Financier Jho Low Revealed as Purchaser of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s $49 Million Dustheads.
NYC LANDMARKS
It’s been revealed that art collector Aby Rosen shelled out $55 million for the graffiti-covered Gilded Age landmark building at 190 Bowery, just steps away from the New Museum. The property had been owned for decades by photographer Jay Maisel, who bought it around 1966 for a reported $102,000, and allowed street artists to cover it in spray paint. What’s going to happen to it now? See Aby Rosen Pays $55 Million for Gilded Age Building Artist Jay Maisel Bought for $102,000 Around 1966.
NEWS TO KNOW
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Beyoncé Boosts Artist Hank Willis Thomas for Black History Month
Does Qatar’s $300 Million Paul Gauguin Acquisition Hide A Dark Secret?
Art Fraudster Luke Brugnara Recaptured After Daring Jailbreak–We Love This Guy
Teen Artist Rodman Edwards Creates Creepy Sculpture of Bill Cosby Naked for TV Hall of Fame