Art Movements
This week in art news: Changes to the UK's copyright law were implemented, a new Banksy mural was branded "racist", and Christie's introduced a new commission into its contracts.
Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.
The Asia Contemporary Art Show opened yesterday, despite the ongoing democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Christie’s has implemented a new commission into its contracts with consignors. Any work of art that meets or exceeds its high estimate will now require an additional 2% charge on top of the hammer price.
Changes to UK copyright law went into effect on October 1st. A new European directive has expanded the legal use of parody and satire involving copyrighted material. See Hyperallergic’s coverage of the changes here.
Over 400 anthropologists have signed a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Robin Grearson, a teacher formally employed by 3rd Ward, calculated that the defunct Brooklyn arts space owes over $70,000 to former students, members, and teachers. Grearson told the Village Voice that a number of the individuals she has spoken to are considering joint legal action.
German graffiti artist Walter Josef Fischer, aka ‘Oz’, died after being struck by a subway train in Hamburg. According to the Guardian, Oz is estimated to have sprayed over 120,000 tags.
The Art Newspaper was acquired by Russian collector and entrepreneur, Inna Bazhenova. See Hyperallergic’s coverage here.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial will reverse its ban on photography later this Fall. The policy reversal only applies to the museum’s permanent collection.
A new Banksy mural satirizing xenophobia was removed after being branded as “racist”. The mural was erected in Clacton-on-Sea, England, where a by-election is due to take place following a local Conservative MP’s decision to defect to the UK Independence Party (UKIP), known for its right-wing stance on immigration.
MOCA is offering free entry to their current exhibition, Andy Warhol: Shadows, to any visitor who brings along a review of the show and tweets about it. The move, assumed to be a response to Christopher Knight’s negative review for the LA Times, has been described as “belittling” by writer William Poundstone.
Laura Raicovich was appointed the new president and executive director of the Queens Museum. The post was previously held by Tom Finkelpearl, currently New York City’s cultural affairs commissioner.
The French government announced that the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Versailles Palace are to be open seven days a week. The new opening hours will be implemented sometime between 2015–2017.
Jason White, an art dealer based in Ternecula, California was sentenced to a five year prison sentence for cyberstalking. White attempted to extort $300,000 from his former employer, Robert Bane, by publishing accusations of fraud and malpractice online.
Albert Uderzo, co-creator of cartoon character Astérix the Gaul, resolved a seven year legal dispute with his daughter Sylvie. Astérix is considered to be the most recognized cartoon character in France.
German lighting firm Osram has been commissioned to install 7,000 LEDs inside the Sistine Chapel. The firm claims that their LEDs will minimize damage to Michelangelo’s frescos by employing a specifically designed color spectrum.
15 paintings, including works by Monet and Michelangelo, were seized from the home of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. The Phillippine government’s Presidential Commission on Good Government will look to Sotheby’s and Christie’s to ascertain the authenticity of the works.
Christina Acidini, the superintendent of Florence’s museums is the subject of an abuse of office investigation by the Italian police. Authorities are also investigating Florence’s former superintendent, Antonio Paolucci, and a former employee of the Florence soprintendenza, according to The Art Newspaper.
An appeal to save the UK’s Wedgewood Museum collection successfully raised £15.75 million. The target was reached in just under a month.
The Delaware Art Museum sold two works from its collection in a bid to tackle its $19.8 million debt. One of the two works, William Holman Hunt’s “Isabella and the Pot of Basil” (1868) sold for a “disappointing” $4.25 million, according to Delaware Online.
Dallas collector, Derek Wilson, donated $1 million to the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. The gift will fund an endowment for the museum and its collection. A pavilion space at the museum is to be named after the collector.
A merger was announced between the Lancaster Museum and the Demuth Museum. Both institutions will keep their names but will function as a single entity.
A new exhibition space for postwar German art, the Kunsthaus Dahlem, will open in Berlin next year.
A sculptured figurine from Justin La Doux’s art installation, kNights Watch, was stolen from outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. Made from recycled materials, the work is part of an ArtPrize exhibit.
Bushwick’s Doering-Bohack House has been granted landmark status. The building is a rare example of a Neo-Grec frame house in New York City.
Camille Henrot was awarded the 2014 Nam June Paik Award.
Six novels have been shortlisted for the 2014 Goldsmiths Prize.
The National Capital Planning Commission granted preliminary approval for a revised version of Frank Gehry’s controversial design for the Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial. The project has been stalled since 2011.
The RBC Canadian Painting Competition announced this year’s fifteen finalists.
