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
–Katia Rosenthal’s Miami-based space KDR and Tribeca gallery Kapp Kapp were some of the newcomers to last week’s Frieze Week offerings. See who else made their debut at fairs across the city. (Artnet News)
–Among the high-end works to sell at Frieze New York was an $850,000 Ed Clark painting at Hauser and Wirth, four Sterling Ruby paintings at Gagosian for $550,000 each, and a painting by Lynne Drexler at White Cube for $375,000, among others. (Artnet News)
–VIPs flooded TEFAF New York‘s opening on May 9, among them Neue Galerie co-founder Ronald Lauder, Anderson Cooper, Zach Braff, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Geffen, KAWS, Mark Ronson, and Martha Stewart. (Artnet News)
Auction Houses
–Nearly $1 billion worth of art is set to go under the hammer next week during New York’s May evening auctions. Yet the mood around so-called “gigaweek” is somewhat subdued, the result of an ongoing market slump that has left sellers cautious—and auction houses nervous. Here’s our guide to what to watch out for. (Artnet News)
–Just ahead of New York‘s marquee auctions, Christie’s experienced a “technology security issue” that took its website offline. The cyberattack occurred during a crucial moment before the spring sales when potential buyers are confirming their interests in artworks expected to sell for tens of millions of dollars. The auction house has not yet confirmed whether any consignor data was compromised. (Artnet News)
–One of Edouard Manet’s final paintings has made an ultra-rare appearance in New York before it is sold next week at Sotheby’s Modern sale. It is estimated to fetch at least $10 million. (Artnet News)
Galleries
–JoAnne Carson is now represented by DC Moore Gallery, Gavlak Gallery has added Jessica Cannon to its roster, MSCHF has officially joined the Perrotin’s artist list, and Oren Pinhassi is now represented by Lehmann Maupin in collaboration with Edel Assanti and Commonwealth and Council. (Press releases)
Elysia Borowy in front of a work by artist Ndubisi Okoye.
Institutions
–The Rema Hort Mann Foundation has appointed Elysia Borowy as executive director. Borowy is the co-founder and director of VHE ART, a consulting group and cultural engine dedicated to artists and artist-centered philanthropy; previously she served as executive director and chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. (Press release)
–Jess Van Nostrand has joined New Jersey’s Morris Museum in the newly created position of director of public engagement and curatorial strategies. (Press release)
–The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College has announced the construction of the Keith Haring Wing. The 6,000-square-foot addition to its library and archives is funded in part by a $3 million gift from the Keith Haring Foundation. (Press release)
–Documenta has begun planning its next edition, without an adopted code of conduct for its next artistic director. This derails the expectations for the next edition of the festival laid out by an advisory board following the antisemitism scandal that marked the 2022 edition. (ARTnews)
Tech and Legal News
–Fake artworks supposedly painted by Impressionist masters Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh are being sold on eBay, according to an expert art authenticator. Carina Popovici, CEO of Art Recognition, claims to have identified as many as 40 forgeries on the online auction platform using her company’s advanced A.I. software. (Artnet News)
–The FBI is now aiding in the search for two Willem de Kooning paintings allegedly stolen in 1985 from the Harwood Museum by two deceased schoolteachers. (Artnet News)
–Two women were arrested by French police on Monday at the Centre Pompidou-Metz after they targeted The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet by painting “Me Too” onto the painting from 1866. (Artnet News)
Awards
–South Arts has announced its 2024 State Fellows for Visual Arts in its flagship Southern Prize and State Fellowships program. The program recognizes artists and creatives working in the Southeastern U.S.; this year marks the inaugural expansion to include literary arts. Among this year’s visual arts fellows are Zipporah Camille Thompson (Georgia), Nelson Gutierrez (Tennessee), and Macon Reed (Louisiana). Fellows receive and unrestricted cash prize of $5,000 each. (Press release)