Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.
Two works were censored at Apres Charlie (After Charlie), a show at the French Institute in Tel Aviv that marked the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo killings. The institute allegedly removed one work and partially obscured another following concerns expressed by the French Embassy.
A report by the Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film found that just 9% of Hollywood’s highest-grossing films last year were directed by women — the same figure as 1998.
Larry Gagosian filed a lawsuit against the royal family of Qatar over the ownership of Picasso’s “Bust of a Woman” (1931). Both parties claim to have purchased the work from Picasso’s daughter, Maya Widmaier-Picasso. The sculpture is currently on display in the Museum of Modern Art’s Picasso Sculpture exhibition.
Steve Powers announced on Instagram that his monumental “Love Letter to Brooklyn” (2011) mural in Downtown Brooklyn will soon be removed.
A survey by the Museum Association revealed that one in five UK museums has introduced admission fees in the last year, or plans to do so, due to spending cuts to local authorities.
The cover of William Boyd’s “Nat Tate: An American Artist: 1928-1960” (1998)
Author William Boyd wrote a piece for the Guardian reminiscing on the art hoax that he and David Bowie perpetrated in 1998. Boyd wrote a monograph on the “forgotten” artist Nat Tate, which Bowie launched at a press event. The artist was later revealed to be fictional character (whose name was an abbreviation of the National Gallery and Tate). One of Boyd’s funniest anecdotes is unrelated to the hoax: Bowie would apparently carry a Greek newspaper whenever he took the subway in New York. As the musician told Boyd, “People think: that’s David Bowie, surely? Then they see the Greek newspaper — no, can’t be, just some Greek guy who looks like him.”
Lego reversed its policy on bulk orders in the wake of its recent row with Ai Weiwei. The artist accused Lego of censorship last October after the Danish company refused to fulfill a bulk order. Lego announced in a press statement that they will no longer ask for the thematic purpose of a project when selling bricks in bulk.
Users on an typography message board revealed that Canada 150, the typeface unveiled to celebrate Canada’s sequicentennial, already existed as a free font under a different name. Gizmodo published a detailed report on the various controversies that have dogged Canada’s 150th-birthday preparations.
The John E. Fogarty building, a renowned Brutalist building in downtown Providence, will be demolished and replaced with a high-rise hotel.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati discovered that the ancient city of Knossos was three times larger than previously thought.
Philip Pullman resigned as a patron of the Oxford Literary Festival in protest over its refusal to pay writers.
(via Twitter/@PhilipPullman)
The New York City Opera — which filed for bankruptcy in 2013 — is to be revived in a different form as part of a reorganization plan confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
Schur Management filed suit against art dealer Tony Shafrazi for allegedly failing to pay 13 months worth of overdue rent. Shafrazi was reportedly paying $14,500 per month for his former SoHo loft.
British Lebanese construction magnate and collector Marwan Zakhem will open a gallery in Accra, Ghana, in March.
Gilbert Stuart‘s 1796 portrait of George Washington will be removed from public display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery for an 18-month conservation.
Stephen Colbert interviewed the Guerrilla Girls on The Late Show.
Zaha Hadid Architects declined a request from the organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to sign a contract relinquishing the copyright for its scrapped stadium design. The Japan Sports Council is refusing to settle an overdue payment until the new agreement is signed.
The Crystal Palace‘s so-called “secret subway” may be opened to the public later this year.
Socrates Sculpture Park will be officially mapped as New York City parkland. Although the park has operated under the jurisdiction of the city’s Parks Department since 1993, the distinction will protect it from future development.
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the mayor of Baltimore, announced a city-wide “Edgar Allan Poe Appreciation Day.”
The Tom of Finland Foundation produced a series of limited-edition smartphone cases featuring the artist’s work.
A public park dedicated to contemporary art will be constructed in Milan later this year.
Transactions
Archibald J. Motley Jr., “Gettin Religion” (1948), oil on canvas, Whitney Museum of American Art New York; purchase, Josephine N. Hopper Bequest, by exchange (© Valerie Gerrard Browne)
The Whitney Museum of American Art acquired Archibald Motley’s “Gettin’ Religion” (1948).
The Fales Library & Special Collections at NYU acquired Chris Kraus‘s papers. The archive includes Kraus’s personal diaries and her correspondence as founding editor of Semiotext(e)’s Native Agents imprint.
Hito Steyerl’s Abstract (2012) was acquired by the Contemporary Art Society for the Glasgow Museum of Contemporary Art. The film is first work by the artist to enter a public collection in the UK.
Sotheby’s acquired art advisory firm Art Agency, Partners.
The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia announced that it acquired 320 objects in 2015, including a portrait of Archbishop William Laud by Anthony van Dyck.
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture acquired a rare copy of Charles Alston’s 1970 sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. The work will be on display when the museum opens in September.
The J. Paul Getty Museum acquired 31 pieces of 18th-century French decorative arts from the collection of economist Dr. Horace Wood Brock.
Mantel Clock, Clock case attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, clock movement by Charles-Guillaume Manière (c. 1789), patinated bronze, gilt bronze, enameled metal, glass, white marble, griotte marble, 21 3/4 × 25 3/8 × 7 1/2 in (courtesy J. Paul Getty Museum)
Becky Benaroya donated 225 artworks and $14 million to the Tacoma Art Museum.
Barbara Taylor and her husband, Andy Taylor, donated $21 million to endow the directorship of the St. Louis Art Museum.
Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson donated $15 million to Artis-Naples.
Art teacher Elizabeth Verdow, who passed away in 2014, left a bequest of $1.71 million to the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art received a $1 million grant from the David T. Beals III Charitable Trust.
Transitions
The interior of the Ford Foundation headquarters, New York (via Wikipedia/Gigi Altarejos) (click to enlarge)
The Ford Foundation announced a $190 million renovation of its New York City headquarters.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science became affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.
The Hood Museum of Art unveiled plans for its $50 million expansion and renovation project.
Spring Studio relocated to 293 Broome Street on the Lower East Side.
Frances Morris was appointed director of Tate Modern.
Peter Bazalgette will step down as chair of Arts Council England next year.
Harry Philbrick, the director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, will step down in order to establish a nonprofit in Philadelphia.
Vincent Fremont was appointed CEO of ARTnews Ltd.
Kara Medoff Barnett was appointed executive director of the American Ballet Theater.
Emily J. Sano was appointed a senior advisor for Asian art at the San Antonio Museum of Art.
Accolades
Alejandro Aravena was awarded the 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Jimmie Durham was awarded the 2016 Goslar Kaiserring prize.
Creative Capital awarded funding to 46 projects in the categories of performing arts, literature, and emerging fields.
Two Trees Management Co. announced the recipients of its Cultural Space Subsidy Program grants.
Obituaries
David Bowie’s striped bodysuit for the ‘Aladdin Sane’ Tour (1973), design by Kansai Yamamoto (photo by Masayoshi Sukita, © Sukita / The David Bowie Archive) (click to enlarge)
Lady Jane Abdy (1934–2015), art dealer and society hostess.
Ann Arnold (1936–2015), painter.
Sylvan Barnet (1926–2016), literary scholar and collector.
Brian Bedford (1935–2016), stage actor.
David Bowie (1947–2016), musician and cultural icon.
Otis Clay (1942–2016), singer.
Rick Cluchey (1933–2015) actor, protégé of Samuel Beckett.
André Courrèges (1923–2016), fashion designer.
Ali Sugule Egal (unconfirmed–2016), composer, poet, and playwright.
Aura Lewis (1947–2015), reggae singer.
Alan Rickman (1946–2016), actor and director.
Derek Sugden (1924–2015), structural engineer and acoustician.
Lois Weisberg (1925–2016), Chicago’s Commissioner of Cultural Affairs between 1989–2011.
