Paint Drippings is excerpted from The Back Room, our lively recap funneling only the week’s must-know art industry intel into a nimble read you’ll actually enjoy. Artnet News Pro members get exclusive access—subscribe now to receive this in your inbox every Friday. 

Art Fairs

–Dealers were upbeat at the opening day of Frieze New York, as they capitalized on the “Venice effect” by showing artists who made a splash during the biennale’s vernissage. Perrotin sold out a display of painting and sculpture by Lee Bae, while Thaddaeus Ropac sold six works by Martha Jungwirth ranging from $64,000 to $375,000, as well as an Alex Katz study for $125,000. (Artnet News)

–Christine Messineo, director of Frieze New York, discusses the challenges for the market, the recent acquisition of Expo Chicago and the Armory, and her programming highlights from across Frieze Week, including a focus on performance art in non-profit spaces. (Artnet News)

–From Independent to 1-54, NADA to TEFAF, we’ve got your go-to guide for all the fairs around New York this spring. (Artnet News)

Auction Houses

–Bonhams has appointed Louise Arén as CEO of its Nordic arm to strengthen its business in the area. Arén will retain her role as chief executive of Bukowskis, an auction house with sites in Stockholm and Helskini. It was acquired by Bonhams along with Copenhagen-based Bruun Rasmusseum in 2022. (Press release)

–Sotheby’s has appointed Francesca Lisk as general counsel, while retaining her responsibilities as chief talent officer. She is replacing Marco DeSanto, who will now serve as the CEO of the auction house’s automobile department, RM Sotheby’s. (Press release)

Galleries

–Four ex-staffers have accused Nino Mier Gallery of short-changing artists on sales of their work by up to 54 percent. Records of 21 transactions spanning a two-year period reveal discrepancies of between $425 and $7,000, including the sale of Small Veil 1 by Louise Bonnet in 2019. (The Art Newspaper)

–Sargent’s Daughters will move from New York’s Lower East Side to a new Tribeca location at 370 Broadway, coinciding with the 10-year anniversary of the gallery. In 2023, the gallery opened a second location in Los Angeles. (Press release)

–Michael Werner announced its representation of Sanya Kantarovsky with a large painting on the outside wall of its booth at Frieze, Lévy Gorvy Dyan now represents Alison Watt. (Artnet News, Press release

Imani Roach. Photo: Naomieh Jovin.

Institutions 

–The Philadelphia Museum of Art has appointed Imani Roach as the inaugural director and curator of the new Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art. (Press release)

–The Morgan Library has appointed Dr. Claire Gilman as its new Acquavella Curator and Department Head of Modern and Contemporary Drawings. She comes from the Drawing Center, where she has been chief curator for 13 years. (Press release)

–The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has elected Richard Armstrong as a director of its board. (Press release)

–Lumi Tan will curate the 2026 iteration of Converge 45, the city-wide triennial in Portland, Oregon. (Press release)

–Roman Abramovich’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow was searched by Russia’s secret service on April 26. The institution claims the action was related to its supposed ties with dissident artist Pyotr Versilov. (Artnet News)

Tech and Legal News

–Three artists have launched a class action lawsuit against Google in a California federal court. They alleged the company has been using their work without permission to train its A.I.-powered image generator. (Reuters)

–A mysterious new heir has laid claim to Gustav Klimt’s portrait Portrait of Fräulein Lieser (1917), which recently sold for $32 million at im Kinsky in Vienna, to a Hong Kong buyer. The declaration casts fresh doubt on the long-lost painting’s provenance, with calls for an export bar and fresh examinations. (Artnet News)

–The FBI is returning a Claude Monet work to its rightful owners, following its seizure in 2023. The small pastel work was looted by the Nazis from the home of Adalbert and Hilda Parlagi in Vienna, and eventually made its way to the U.S. Their heirs filed a complaint in federal court to have it returned on March 22. (Artnet News)

–Two environmental activists were arrested at the entrance of the Musée D’Orsay in Paris on Sunday, while in possession of a white, viscous liquid. They are under investigation for “attempted destruction of cultural property” amid a slew of recent protests attacking famous paintings. (Le Figaro)

Awards

– The Sobey Art Award, Canada’s top art prize, has announced its longlist of 30 artists along with an increased winning pot of $340,000. Individuals from the Circumpolar area—near a geographical pole or within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles—are now eligible for the accolade. (The Art Newspaper)

– Pierre Huyghe has been awarded the Grand Prix of the Fondation Simone et Cino Del Duca. He will receive the award in a ceremony at Institut de France on 19 June. (Press release)

– Sámi artist Tomas Colbengtson is the winner of the Queen Sonja Print Award, a biannual printmaking prize presented by the queen of Norway. (Press release)