Week in Review: Artist Shot by Militia Over Statue; Confederate Portraits Removed From Capitol

Week in Review is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world. Subscribe to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the paintings of four House speakers who served in the Confederacy to be removed from the Capitol building.

Documentarian Arlen Parsa altered John Trumbull’s famous work, “Declaration of Independence,” to show that most signatories of the Declaration of Independence were enslavers. He marked the faces of every man that controlled enslaved people with a red dot.

A man was shot outside of the Albuquerque Museum as members of a right-wing militia infiltrated an attempt to remove a statue of New Mexico’s colonial governor, Juan de Oñate.

The University of California and campuses, including Berkeley, failed to comply with laws for returning Native American human remains and artifacts, according to a new California auditor report.

In New York City, thousands are calling for the removal of Christopher Columbus statues, which can be found in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.

A little-known Christopher Columbus statue in Miami, which was sculpted by Mussolini’s bodyguard, was doused in red paint by activists.

Mississippi leaders urge the redesign of the state flag to remove the Confederate battle flag. “In Mississippi, the state flag is the most visible symbol of white supremacy,” said a group of local leaders calling for its replacement.

The Gee’s Bend Resource Center will serve one of the most under-resourced communities in Alabama, providing free internet, and assistance with voter registration and census participation.

An open letter criticizes the Palm Springs Art Museum for staying silent for 10 days and for then offering a “message of neutrality using the artwork of Alison Saar, whose work is far from neutral.”

An infamous buried treasure was discovered in the Rocky Mountains.

Transactions

Arte Povera artist Giuseppe Penone made substantial donations of his work to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Comprising 309 works on paper and five artists’ books, the gift to the Philadelphia Museum includes pieces related to Penone’s Maritime Alps (1968–78) and Ideas of Stone (2003–) series. The Pompidou received around 350 works on paper, including drawings connected to Working Project on Trees (1968) and Mirrored Contact Lenses (1970).

The FBI has arrested 33-year-old contemporary art dealer Inigo Philbrick, who faces charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Philbrick, who operated out of London and Miami, allegedly swindled collectors and investors out of more than $20 million between 2016 and 2019, making more than a few enemies in the process (Fine Art Partners, Satfinance, Guzzini Properties, and Athena Art Finance, to name some high-profile examples). The arrest occurred in Vanuatu, a small island in the South Pacific.

Sotheby’s is implementing an “Overhead Premium,” which will go into effect in August. 1% of the hammer price will be tacked onto the sale price, on top of the auction house’s standard buyer’s premiums — which typically range from 13.9% to 25% — and local taxes. Over the past few years, Sotheby’s and Christie’s have regularly increased their buyer’s premiums.

This Week in the Art World

Evan Ifekoya is withdrawing from their role at Goldsmiths, University of London. | Artsy

The Field Foundation announced its 2020 Leaders for a New Chicago, which include Elijah McKinnon and Faheem Majeed. | Chicago Tribune

Pace Gallery announced representation of Sonia Gomes. | Via email announcement

Stephen Brooks is leaving his position as Christie’s Deputy CEO. | Art Market Monitor

Almine Rech now represents Kenny Scharf. | artdaily

The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award went to Ronald K. Brown. | Artforum

Luhring Augustine announced the representation of Salman Toor. | News Break

Jessica May is leaving her position at the Portland Museum of Art. | Via email announcement 

Washington University in St. Louis has appointed Lisa Bulawsky as the new chair of the Visual Art MFA program. | Washington University in St. Louis: The Source

Mary Bauermeister was awarded Germany’s Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit. | Via   email announcement

Francis Alÿs will represent Belgium in the 2022 Venice Biennale. | ARTnews

The Cooper Union School of Art awarded Natalie Ball the 2020 Ida Applebroog Grant. | Via email announcement

Sarah Rapson joined the roster of Modern Art in London. | ARTnews

Leelee Chan is the winner of the BMW Art Journey Award. | Artforum

Ed and Nancy Kienholz have joined the roster at Galerie Templon. | Via email announcement 

In Memoriam

Sally Banes (1950–2020), dance historian and critic | Dance Magazine

Ralph Caplan (1925–2020), design critic and editor | The Architect’s Newspaper

James Harvey (1929–2020), playwright, critic, and writer | The New York Times

Wayne Ngan (1937–2020), Chinese-Canadian ceramicist, sculptor, and painter | Nathalie Karg Gallery

Murray Olderman (1922–2020), sportswriter and cartoonist | Multiversity Comics

Roland Ollie (1951–2020), museum patron and collector of African-American art | Culture Type

Luther Price (1962–2020), experimental filmmaker | ARTnews

Ronald Tackmann (1953–2020), incarcerated self-taught artist | The New York Times