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ArtList’s 5 Art World Updates: Most Expensive Female Artists & Ace Gallery Woes

June 2, 2016 by Maneker

Weekly post from ArtList, the online marketplace for private sales

1. Most Expensive Female Artists At Auction

Artnet News has compiled their annual list of the most expensive female artists at auction, based on data from the last decade.

O’Keeffe’s record-setting “Jimson Weed / White Flower No. 1” (1932) (artnet News)

Georgia O’Keeffe maintains her place at the top this year, thanks to the sale of her Jimson Weed/ White Flower No. 1 (1932) in 2014, which, at a price-tag of $44.4 million, is the most expensive painting by a female artist ever sold. Louise Bourgeois, Joan Mitchell, Berthe Morisot, and Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova follow Kahlo on the list. Notably, coming in at number 6, Agnes Martin debuts on the list due to the $10.7 million sale of her painting Orange Grove (1965) earlier this month, which broke the artist’s personal price record at auction. Cady Noland, Tamara de Lempicka and Camille Claudel fill out the list along withFrida Kahlo, who did not appear on the list last year but is included after the $8 million sale of her Dos Desnudos en el Bosque (1939) earlier this spring. Not on the list? Fan favorite Yayoi Kusama whose $7 million sale of her White No. 28 was bumped from the list by higher auctions this year.

2. Impressive Contemporary Art Collection to be Shown Outside Iran for First Time

The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA) is known to have an impressive, extensive collection of Western artworks, yet the works have never traveled out of Iran. Until now.

Jackson Pollock’s “Mural on Indian Red Ground” (1950) on display at the Tehran MoCA. The piece is thought to be one of the artist’s greatest works (artnet News)

The Berlin National Gallery has reached an agreement with TMoCA and will display some of the cornerstone works from the collection from December 2016 until February 2017. The collection — acquired by Farah Diba Pahlavi, the wife of the last Iranian shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — includes works from such artists as Claude Monet, Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, René Magritte and Chuck Close. Only two years after the museum to house the collection was completed, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 brought an end to the shah’s rule and the Westernization of the country. Since then TMoCA has carefully displayed some individual works while the bulk of the astounding collection remains in storage. While some Germans have criticized the exhibition as an expensive, political move to open up trade between the countries, it will definitely offer an opportunity to glimpse an incredible collection of largely unseen artwork.

3. Ace Gallery Removes Founder Amid Bankruptcy Investigation

Ace Gallery, one of Los Angeles’ oldest and largest galleries, has officially severed ties with its founder Douglas Chrismas, after he was found to have diverted almost $17 million of the gallery’s funds into mysterious accounts.

Chrismas inside the gallery (New York Times)

The move comes after the gallery declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and, in a resulting investigation, a court-appointed accountant discovered that Chrismas had directed $16,910,139 toward such entities as Ace Gallery New York Corporation and Ace Museum. The forensic accountant, Sam Leslie, knew that something was amiss given that Chrismas closed the gallery’s New York branch over a decade ago and that the Ace Museum has had a unreliable and spotty exhibition history. Furthermore, the day before Leslie took over the gallery operations, Chrismas instructed assistants to move more than 60 works of art from the gallery into private storage. Although Chrismas told Leslie that he personally owned the works, he did not declare the works when he filed for bankruptcy in 2004. It is unclear at this time if the apparent misconduct will result in criminal charges; but in the meantime, Leslie will continue to run the gallery during regular hours and with existing staff.

4. Artistic Partnership Between Paris, Cairo Museums

Paris’ Louvre and the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo have entered into a cooperative partnership, intertwining their collections, resources and staff members.

The Museum of Islamic Art (left) and the Louvre (Creative Commons)

Louvre director, Jean-Luc Martinez, signed the deal with the Egyptian minister of antiquities, Khaled El-Enany. It will allow for the institutions to put on joint exhibitions, collaborate on conservation and aid in staff training; for example, several members of the Cairo staff are to visit the Louvre to work with the museum’s Islamic department curators, sharing information on archiving works and collection care. The collaboration gives both more prominence to the Islamic pieces already in the Louvre’s collection as well as a chance for foreign display of the Cairo museum’s collection, as the museum has remained closed since early 2014, when a car bomb damaged the building.

5. Seven Suspects Arrested for Stealing Francis Bacon Pieces

Spanish authorities have arrested seven individuals in connection to the burglary of five Francis Bacon paintings from a home in Madrid last July.

Police released an image of one of the pieces that was taken (Guardian)

The taken works, with a combined value of €25 million ($28 million), belonged to José Capelo Blanco, who was a close friend of Bacon’s. The authorities tracked down the suspects thanks to a tip from an unnamed British company that specializes in tracking stolen artworks; the company had been contacted by an individual to check if one of the stolen pieces was, in fact, on any list of stolen pieces, and the company grew suspicious. The authorities were then able to link the robbers to a Madrid-based art dealer as well. While the artworks themselves have not yet been located, with suspects in custody the police may be able to find the works soon.

ArtList’s 3 Must See Shows: James Turrell, Philip Guston & Eric Fischl

May 20, 2016 by Maneker

Weekly post from ArtList, the online marketplace for private sales

1. James Turrell @ Pace Gallery
May 6 — June 18

(Pace Gallery)

Pace Gallery has devoted both its midtown location as well as one of its Chelsea galleries to James Turrell’s current show, 67 68 69. The show revisits the artist’s landmark light projections from the late 1960s, when Turrell was only beginning to create the light works that would eventually make him a major, historic artistic figure. The show includes both the seminal, immersive light artworks (including Turrell’s very first projection piece) as well as sketches from the artist, glimpsing the thought and preparation that goes into each major piece.

On view at 32 East 57th Street & 534 West 25th Street.

2. Eric Fischl @ Skarstedt Gallery
May 3 — June 25

“False Gods,” 2015 (Skarstedt Gallery)

Know for his painted examinations of the human condition, Eric Fischl’s current solo show, Rift Raft, departs from the suburban scenes of his past, turning toward the art world itself. Fischl has long been both fascinated and appalled by art fairs, seeing them as embodiments of the art world’s existential conflict — torn between artistic and commercial values. He attended fairs with his camera in tow, capturing the people and scenes he observed there. Now, his observations have become a meta-meditation on the very world and discourse into which these pieces will go.

On view at 20 East 79th Street, New York, NY.

3. Philip Guston @ Hauser & Wirth
April 26 — July 29

(Hauser & Wirth)

Hauser & Wirth’s current exhibit of Philip Guston includes 36 paintings and 53 drawings the artist created between 1957 and 1967, diving into a pivotal decade in the artist’s career. The show captures Guston immersed in the New York School alongside such contemporaries as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline, grappling with the philosophical issues the School sought to address; his pieces delve into the medium of painting and seek to arrive at the significance of abstraction.

On view at 511 West 18th Street, New York, NY.

ArtList’s 3 Must See Shows: Gerhard Richter, Jean Dubuffet & More

May 13, 2016 by Maneker

Weekly post from ArtList, the online marketplace for private sales

1. Gerhard Richter @ Marian Goodman Gallery
May 7 — June 25

(Marian Goodman Gallery)

Marian Goodman’s new solo exhibition of Gerhard Richter’s work focuses on the most recent pieces from that painter, created between 2010 and 2015. The pieces capture the current aesthetic of the German artist, who has experimented with an immense range of styles throughout his career (from photorealism to geometric abstraction). Following a period in which he investigated alternative methods of painting, the new works depict Richter’s recent return to abstract painting, akin to that of the Bild series that cemented Richter’s legacy as a record setting artist.

On view at 24 West 57th Street, New York, NY.

You can find works from Gerhard Ricther for sale now, on Artlist.

2. Jean Dubuffet @ Acquavela Galleries
April 25 — June 10

“Jardin mouvementé,” 1955 (Acquavella Galleries)

Jean Dubuffet’s Anticultural Positions is a survey of more than two decades of the artist’s early painting and sculptural works. The show captures Dubuffet’s characteristic “anti-cultural” approach to depicting subjects and his use of unorthodox materials. Working in the 1940s and 50s, Dubuffet saw a disconnect between the composed art emerging from Western countries and the ravages of war that the world has just finished enduring. Through his work, he sought to approach a more instinctual, less artificial mode of expression — a more authentic depiction of the human condition.

On view at 18 East 79th Street, New York, NY.

You can find works from Jean Dubuffet for sale now, on Artlist.

3. Jordan Wolfson @ David Zwirner
May 5 — June 25

(David Zwirner Gallery)

In his second show with David Zwirner since joining the gallery in 2013, Jordan Wolfson presents a single sculptural work that manages to take up the entire gallery space. Colored sculpture is a red-haired, freckled, boyish looking puppet, attached to a mechanized gantry, which allows the work to enact choreographed sequences of movement. The grand, sudden gestures are meant to blur the categorization of the work: seemingly figurative then suddenly abstract, at first passive then definitively active, captivating its viewers.

On view at 525 West 19th Street in New York, NY.

ArtList’s 5 Art World Updates: Frieze Wrap Up & First Look at SFMOMA

May 10, 2016 by Maneker

Weekly post from ArtList, the online marketplace for private sales

1. Frieze New York Wrap Up

Despite gloomy weather, New York’s Frieze fair enjoyed a sizable turnout as well as significant sales this past weekend.

Frieze set up on Randall’s Island, just off the coast of Manhattan (Grand Lift)

Pace Gallery sold off five sculptural works from Fred Wilson (including one to an Asian art museum), Hauser & Wirth moved two glass sculptures by Roni Horn at $975,000 each, 303 Gallery sold almost all works on view, including pieces from Dout Aitken, Alicija Kwade and Hans-Peter Feldmann, while Lisson Galleryreported having sold out half their booth on preview day alone, including works from Lawrence Weiner, Pedro Reyes, Ryan Gander, Haroon Mirza, andStanley Whitney. Erwin Wurm’s pieces also proved popular at the Lehmman Maupin booth as the gallery sold seven of his works throughout the fair just as Walton Ford’s pieces were in high demand at Paul Kasmin Gallery’s booth, which sold out its solo show of the artist.

2. Van Gogh Museum Launches Private Advisory Service

Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum is now letting visitors bring the museum into their own homes, offering professional services to private collectors, corporations and other institutions.

Outside the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (Travel and Leisure)

Through the new program, museum employees will provide advice and support to clients regarding conservation, preservation, installation and the development of educational programs. The venture could cover up to 5% of the museum’s annual operating budget (which costs a total of €45 million) and provide a source of revenue that is immune to fluctuations in both museum visitation and government funding. Some critics worry that the museum involving itself in the private sphere could lead to a conflict of interest Adriaan Dönszelmann, the managing director of the Van Gogh Museum, dismissed this issue, saying that while it would work with private clients it would refrain from influencing the public art market

3. A First Look at San Francisco’s New Museum

Artnet news’ Ben Davis gave readers a first look at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) this week, a month before it opens its expanded and refurbished facilities to the public.

The newly designed SFMOMA (top) and inside one of the museum’s permanent gallery spaces (artnet News)

The renovations, which cost more than $300 million, have dramatically expanded the space curators have access to: “Curators now have seven floors to work with, yielding up vast rambling corridors of art, clearly organized pathways that are still full of potential detours and surprises.” These new spaces will allow SFMOMA to open a staggering 19 new exhibitions at once, in honor of the museum’s opening. While the museum blends the bohemian past and technological future of the city well, it also owes a great deal of inspiration to Doris and Donald Fisher, the art collecting couple whose donation inspired the renovations; 270 of the pieces donated by the Fishers will be on display throughout three floors of the museum.

4. Manifesta Biennial To Travel to Marseille

Manifesta — the roving biennial of European contemporary art — has announced that it will hold its 13th edition in Marseille, France in 2020.

Marseille, France (Euro EUS)

The mayor of Marseille is said to have already allocated €627,000 ($715,000) toward acquiring the rights to host the biennial and, as host, the city will have to spend an additional €2.4 million ($2.74 million — a third of the biennial’s total budget) toward developing the event over the next four years. Hosting the fair will only be latest effort from Marseille to develop itself into a destination for art and culture (including the construction of a new museum). However, the French city also aligns well with the experimental fair’s mission to “keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.” The fair will hold its 11th edition next month in Zurich, followed by its 2018 edition in Palermo, Italy.

5. Tate to Face Tribunal Over BP Donations

Although Tate severed financial ties with oil company BP in March, the British museum group may now face an information tribunal, forcing them to disclose BP’s specific contributions.

Protests broke out last June at the Tate Modern over BP’s funding of the museum (artnet News).

The action was brought against Tate by arts group Platform and information rights group Request Initiative. The Tate — whose chair of trustees is former BP CEO John Browne — has previously disclosed that BP annually donated between £150,000 and £330,000 ($216,000 and $475,000) from 1990–2006. However, the museum declined to divulge the amounts received since 2006. Platform’s Anna Galkina said “As Tate’s deal with BP ends, the oil company can no longer use Tate’s spectacular displays to distract the public from its [environmentally] destructive business. The public still has a right to know how much BP paid Tate for this transfer of public trust.”

ArtList’s 5 Art World Updates: MoMA Buyouts & Italy Invests Big in Cultural Heritage

May 6, 2016 by Maneker

 

Weekly post from ArtList, the online marketplace for private sales

1. Italy Pledges €1 billion to Cultural Heritage

The Italian government will be allocating €1 billion ($1.14 billion) toward cultural restoration and building projects at 33 museums, monuments and archaeological sites throughout the country.

Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, which will receive millions of euros to modernize its facilities through Italy’s new plan (Italy Magazine)

What the country’s culture minister described as the “biggest investment in cultural heritage” in Italy’s history will give €30 million to the city of L’Aquila, which was damaged by earthquakes in 2009, €40 million to expand Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera, €40 million for renovations to Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. The plan also promises to allocate and €40 million to preserve archeological sites in Pompeii. Two Naples museums — the National Archaeological Museum of Napes and the Capodimonte Museum — will also be receiving €20 million and €30 million, respectively.

2. Armory Show Rethinks its Fair Approach

In its 2017 edition, New York’s Armory Show will restructure the ways in which it presents art on display and engages with visitors.

Inside New York’s Armory Show (NY)

The fair will merge its modern and contemporary sections, transform the former modern section into a new grouping that will feature solo, two-person or themed shows of 20th century art (entitled “Insights”) and introduce a new curatorial initiative — “Platform” — which will focus on large-scale, installation and performance pieces. Benjamin Genocchio, the fair’s executive director, explained: “We want to be much more than a platform for the commercial, we want to play a greater intellectual role in the artistic life of New York, expanding our talks, programs, performances, and commissioning of new artworks.” The announcement comes amid widespread changes in how art fairs engage with their audience — with Frieze recently entering into a partnership with agency management and Art Basel beginning an urban development program.

3. Ai Weiwei Making Documentary on Refugee Crisis

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will be exploring cinematic media as he makes his first ever feature length film: a documentary on the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe.

In his efforts to raise awareness for refugees, Weiwei has already posed as a drowned Syrian migrant (Time)

Weiwei is working with a professional film crew for the first time and with them has already documented refugees arriving in Turkey and Europe. Traveling against the flow of people arriving in Europe, the artist and his crew has also visited the Middle East, filming migrant camps in Jordan and Lebanon, which house thousands of Syrian refugees. The documentary will only be the latest effort Weiwei has made to raise awareness about the plight of refugees. After visiting the Greek island of Lesbos (a central access point for migrants arriving in Europe) in late 2015, Weiwei has since moved his studio to the island, created many works of art across Europe drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis and used his own social media channels as a means of documenting the plight of migrants and refugees.

4. MoMA Announces Buyout Program

A week after the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it would be initiating a buyout program to downsize its staff, the Museum of Modern Art has stated that it will be following suit.

A rendering of what MoMA’s facade will look like after its upcoming renovations (Dezeen)

MoMA has offered buyouts to employees who are 55 year old or older and have worked at the institution for at least nine years as of July 31. In an official statement, the museum explained that upcoming renovations and construction would curb the amount of staff necessary: “The museum is in a transitional stage in terms of the scope of its operations, which are at a reduced level during the renovation period. The program is entirely voluntary and is intended to benefit staff who are considering retirement this year.”

5. François Pinault Announces New Private Museum

French billionaire art collector François Pinault has announced that he will open a new museum in Paris to showcase his own collection and curate contemporary art shows.

The exterior (top) and interior of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, the future home of Pinault’s collection (Creative Commons)

The museum will be housed in a former commodities exchange building from the 18th century. Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who designed the Palazzo Grassi museum in Venice that Pinault opened in 2006, will oversee renovations to the building. The museum will be the realization of a longtime dream for Pinault: “I have long nurtured the dream of an international network, based in Europe, where works, projects, ideas and views could be exchanged. With this new site, my dream is on the way to becoming reality,” he stated. Turning 80 this summer, Pinault is entering the project alongside his children, “in order to ensure continuity,” ensuring that the museum and his vision will be maintained for decades to come.

 

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