> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Art Movements - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/art-movements-85/ - Published: 2015-02-06T19:48:51.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-24T16:43:36.000Z - Description: This week in art news: MoMA announced 24-hour access to its Matisse cut-outs exhibition, the Manhattan district attorney's office subpoenaed several galleries for their sales tax investigation, and a Gauguin painting is rumored to have sold for $300 million. - Author: Tiernan Morgan - Tags: News, Art Movements, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:08 (2014, 2015, part 2) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/037newrt2.jpg) Henri Matisse, “The Sheaf (La Gerbe)” (1953), maquette for ceramic (realized 1953), gouache on paper, cut and pasted, on paper, mounted on canvas. 115 ¾ x 137 ¾ inches (collection of the University of California, Los Angeles, Hammer Museum; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney F. Brody, © 2015 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; courtesy Museum of Modern Art) *Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.* Egypt’s Al-Arish Museum was [partially destroyed](http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Sinai-antiquities-museum-damaged-in-terrorist-attack/37015?ref=hyperallergic.com) during a wave of attacks by the terrorist group “State of Sinai.” The attacks killed 30 people and injured at least 60. A “Qatari buyer” is rumored to have [purchased](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/arts/design/gauguin-painting-is-said-to-fetch-nearly-300-million.html?%5Fr=1&ref=hyperallergic.com) Paul Gauguin’s “Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?)” (1892) for close to $300 million. If verified, it would be the highest price ever paid for a work of art. Washington, DC’s National Gallery of Art made an [initial selection](http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/press/2015/nga-corcoran-announcements.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) of 6,430 works to be accessioned from the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Upon the Corcoran’s closure last year, it was announced that the National Gallery would assist the trustees of the Corcoran with distributing works from the collection to eligible institutions in Washington. The Manhattan district attorney’s office [subpoenaed](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/arts/design/galleries-records-are-subpoenaed.html?%5Fr=0&ref=hyperallergic.com) several art galleries and dealers as part of their current investigation into sales tax evasion. Sotheby’s “highest ever” sales record was [attributed](http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31126989?ref=hyperallergic.com) to the sale of five Monet paintings within the span of one hour. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/1512365_1580474462188886_5929594664161742201_n.jpg) A protest flyer by Arts Attack (image via Facebook) Staff at National Gallery in London [embarked](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-31112580?ref=hyperallergic.com) on a five-day strike over an ongoing row regarding the [privatization](https://hyperallergic.com/on-track-to-privatize-400-jobs-uk-national-gallery-outsources-management-of-museum-wing/) of two-thirds of the museum’s security staff. *The Independent* reported that the museum’s outgoing director, Nicholas Penny, was [heckled and booed](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/national-gallery-director-nicholas-penny-booed-by-staff-over-privitisation-10021844.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) at a recent staff meeting. Read Hyperallergic’s strike coverage [here](https://hyperallergic.com/at-londons-national-gallery-staffers-strike-and-visitors-carry-on/). The Matisse cut-outs exhibition at MoMA will be [open 24 hours a day](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/moma-cuts-out-closing-hours-for-last-look-at-matisse-show/?%5Fr=0&ref=hyperallergic.com) from today through Sunday, February 8, at 5:30pm. The show permanently closes on Tuesday, February 10. Cuban artist Tania Bruguera is [struggling](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-tania-bruguera-cuba-20150204-column.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) to find a defense lawyer in the wake of her [detainment](https://hyperallergic.com/artist-tania-bruguera-allegedly-detained-in-cuba-over-public-performance/) by the Cuban authorities. Bruguera was detained for attempting to stage a public performance about free speech. Prosecutors are currently deciding whether to file public disorder charges against the artist. PEN America [criticized](http://www.pen.org/press-release/2015/02/02/bahrain-writers-stripped-citizenship?ref=hyperallergic.com) Bahrain for revoking the citizenship of 74 Bahraini nationals. The group includes blogger Ali Abdulemam, writer Ali Aldairy, and journalist Abbas Busafwa. The Academic Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences (INION), a Moscow-based library containing over 14.2 million books and documents, was [severely damaged](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/huge-library-containing-historic-texts-and-14-million-books-goes-up-in-flames-moscow-10015455.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) by a fire. The Museo Jumex in Mexico City [suspended an exhibition](http://news.artnet.com/art-world/museo-jumex-cancels-hermann-nitsch-show-over-animal-rights-protest-239898?ref=hyperallergic.com) of work by Viennese Actionist Herman Nitsch after an online petition protesting the show garnered over 5,000 signatures. The petitioners objected to the artist’s use of animal blood for his performances. Transport for London removed three of [Eduardo Paolozzi](http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/feb/03/public-art-paolozzi-mosaic-tottenham-court-road?ref=hyperallergic.com)‘s mosaic arches from Tottenham Court Station, ignoring protests and a public petition advocating their preservation. French street artist Combo, otherwise known as “Combo Culture Kidnapper,” was [beaten](http://news.artnet.com/art-world/street-artist-combo-brutally-attacked-for-pacifist-tag-post-charlie-hebdo-244569?ref=hyperallergic.com) by four thugs who demanded that he remove a mural advocating religious tolerance. [Rutherford Chang](http://hyperallergic.com/65570/we-sell-white-albums/), the artist renowned for fastidiously collecting first-edition copies of the Beatles’s *White Album* (1968), [posted](http://instagram.com/webuywhitealbums/?ref=hyperallergic.com) images of his entire collection on Instagram (Chang has amassed 1,119 copies so far). The UK’s culture minister, Ed Vaizey, placed an [export ban](http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int%5Fsec=11&int%5Fnew=76182&ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNPHuqtDsyB) on Claude Lorrain’s “A Mediterranean Port at sunrise with the Embarkation of Saint Paula for Jerusalem” (1650). It’s hoped that a matching sum of £5,066,500 (\~$7.7 million) will be raised to purchase the work, which was recently sold to an overseas buyer, and keep it in the UK. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/15803903404_9ca5f123fb_o.jpg) Claude Lorrain, “A Mediterranean port at sunrise with the Embarkation of Saint Paula for Jerusalem” (1650), oil on canvas 100.9 x 135.2 cm (courtesy Department for Culture, Media and Sport) Barbara Brecht-Schall, the daughter of Bertolt Brecht, requested [an injunction](http://www.dw.de/how-much-creative-liberty-can-a-theater-director-take/a-18233268?ref=hyperallergic.com) against theater director Frank Castorf’s production of *Baal* (1918) because of changes made to her father’s original script. Brecht is widely celebrated as a champion of improvisation, shock, and audience participation. Castorf described the lawsuit as “passé and absurd.” Smart Entertainment Ltd is [suing](http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/smart-entertainment-ltds-bk-modi-sues-sothebys/articleshow/46076876.cms?ref=hyperallergic.com) Sotheby’s after alleging that the auction house is conducting business in India on its own, instead of through their joint venture, Sotheby’s India Pvt Ltd. Lost Art Salon, a San Francisco-based gallery, [discovered](http://artdaily.com/news/76247/Rare-double-sided-Gustav-Klimt-drawing-discovered-by-San-Francisco-gallery?ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNTd2qtDsyC) a previously unknown, double-sided Gustav Klimt drawing. The work was verified by the Albertina Museum in Vienna. The Broad Museum in Los Angeles will [open](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-broad-museum-opening-20150205-story.html?track=rss&ref=hyperallergic.com) to the public on September 20. ![The Broad Museum (photo by Gary Leonard, via thebroad.org)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/screenshot_91.png) The Broad Museum (photo by Gary Leonard, via thebroad.org) The Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (APEAL) [launched](http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2015/02/lebanon-contemporary-art-museum.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) a campaign to establish a modern and contemporary art museum in Beirut. The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation is [seeking](http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Albers-Foundation-to-sell-work-to-raise-money-for-Senegal-art-centre/37016?ref=hyperallergic.com) to raise $600,000 for a new culture center in rural Senegal through an auction of works at Christie’s in May. A 66-foot tall ice sculpture, created by artist and engineer Roger Hanson, [collapsed](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/04/us/a-crashing-end-to-a-work-of-ice-a-city-had-warmed-up-to.html?ref=us&smid=tw-nytimes&%5Fr=0) before its world record breaking status could be verified. The demise of the sculpture was captured on film. Dr. Barry Kerzin, a Buddhist monk and doctor to the Dalai Lama, [claimed](http://mashable.com/2015/02/05/mummified-monk/?ref=hyperallergic.com) that a 200-year-old mummified monk is not dead, but in a state of “very deep meditation” known as tukdam. This week’s Venice Biennale news: The Republic of Armenia will [devote](http://www.e-flux.com/announcements/2015-venice-biennale/?ref=hyperallergic.com) its pavilion to artists from the Armenian Diaspora to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide; Romania will be [represented](http://www.artnews.com/2015/02/02/romania-taps-adrian-ghenie-for-2015-venice-biennale-pavilion/?ref=hyperallergic.com) by painter Adrian Ghenie; and Tsibi Geva will [represent](http://artforum.com/news/id=50103?ref=hyperallergic.com) Israel. ## Transactions Coosje van Bruggen (1942–2009) and Claes Oldenburg [donated](http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/02/stedelijk-museum-receives-substantial-gift-of-artworks.php/?ref=hyperallergic.com) 175 artworks from their collection to the Stedelijk Museum. The gift includes works by Lawrence Weiner, Bruce Nauman, Anselm Kiefer, and Jeff Wall. ![Bruce Nauman, "Failing to Levitate in My Studio" (1966) (courtesy Stedelijk Museum)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/bruce-nauman.jpg) Bruce Nauman, “Failing to Levitate in My Studio” (1966) (courtesy Stedelijk Museum) BET founder Robert Johnson [donated](http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2015/02/04/robert-johnson-donates-art-to-african-american.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) several works of art to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum is scheduled to open in 2016. The Philadelphia Museum of Art [acquired](http://www.philamuseum.org/press/releases/2015/1039.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) works by Cézanne, Manet, Pissarro, Morisot, and [Duchamp](https://hyperallergic.com/philadelphia-scores-a-standout-early-duchamp/). JPMorgan Chase & Co. [donated](http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life%5Fand%5Fentertainment/2015/02/04/MUSEUM-DONATION.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) $1 million towards the expansion of the Columbus Museum of Art. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham [acquired](http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/feb/03/george-bellows-nude-barber-institute-warhol?ref=hyperallergic.com) George Bellows’s “Miss Bentham” (1906), the first painting of a nude acquired by the institution. The work was previously owned by Andy Warhol. ## Transitions ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/george-bellows-03.jpg) Onlookers standing in front of George Bellows’, “Miss Bentham” (1906), oil on canvas, 182 x 91cm. Acquired for the Barber Institute of Fine Arts from a private collection by the Henry Barber Trust (courtesy the Barber Institute of Fine Arts) Colgate University’s board of trustees [approved](http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/colgate%5Funiversity%5Fbuilding%5F21%5Fmillion%5Fart%5Fgallery%5Fand%5Fanthropology%5Fmuseum%5Fin%5Fdo.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) the construction of a $21 million Center for Art and Culture. The Center, which will be built in downtown Hamilton, is designed by architect David Adjaye. The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, [hired](http://crystalbridges.org/press-releases/crystal-bridges-museum-american-art-appoints-directors-curatorial-exhibitions/?ref=hyperallergic.com) Margaret C. Conrads to be its new director of curatorial affairs and Robin Groesbeck to be its director of exhibitions and interpretive presentations. John J. Aglialoro, Catherine L. Hughes, and Gregory Charles Miller were [elected](https://www.artnews.com/2015/02/04/barnes-foundation-elects-three-new-trustees/?ref=hyperallergic.com) to the Barnes Foundation’s board of trustees. Tommy Sowers was [elected](http://www.americansforthearts.org/about-americans-for-the-arts/board-of-directors?ref=hyperallergic.com) to the Americans for the Arts board of directors. The Columbus Museum of Art [appointed](http://www.artnews.com/2015/01/30/columbus-museum-of-art-appoints-new-curators/?ref=hyperallergic.com) David Stark as chief curator and Drew Sawyer as associate curator of photography. The Tampa Museum of Art [named](http://artforum.com/news/?ref=hyperallergic.com#news50140) Michael Tomor as its new executive director. He starts his new job on April 15. The Terra Foundation for American Art [appointed](http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int%5Fsec=11&int%5Fnew=76216&ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNPgJKtDsyB) John Davis as executive director of global academic programs and Terra Foundation Europe. The National Gallery in London will [renovate](http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int%5Fsec=11&int%5Fnew=76110&ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNPFLatDsyB) its 19th-century and Impressionist galleries after winning a grant from the Wohl Arts Competition. The work is expected to be completed around early 2017. Emily Orr was [appointed](http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int%5Fsec=11&int%5Fnew=76130&ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNPFPqtDsyB) assistant curator of modern and contemporary design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Laura Copelin was [appointed](http://artforum.com/news/id=50023?ref=hyperallergic.com) associate curator of Ballroom Marfa. ## Crime Spanish police claimed that the [arrests](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spanish-police-break-up-criminal-gang-smuggling-300000-of-egyptian-antiquities-that-could-have-been-used-to-fund-jihadists-10021828.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) of members of an antiquities smuggling ring will hinder the transfer of funds to jihadists in the Middle East. Austrian police [launched](http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int%5Fsec=11&int%5Fnew=76224&ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNPgMatDsyB) an investigation following the appearance of anti-semitic graffiti on the walls of camp Mauthausen, the former Nazi concentration camp. A sketch by a student at the Pratt Institute was [used as evidence](http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/exclusive-art-student-doodle-helps-nab-pervert-pratt-article-1.2100103?ref=hyperallergic.com) in the conviction of a sex offender. The student saw ex-convict Christopher Thomas, 46, commit a lewd act outside her classroom. Federal prosecutor Alicyn Cooley argued that the student’s drawing corroborated her witness testimony. ## Accolades ![Rendering of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation’s "COSMO," the winning design of the 2015 Young Architects Program. The Museum of Modern Art and MoMAPS1 (courtesy of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/02/cosmomomaps1yapandresjaquearchitects01-1.jpg) Rendering of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation’s “COSMO,” the winning design of the 2015 Young Architects Program (The Museum of Modern Art and MoMAPS1, courtesy of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation) Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation was [announced](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/ps1-names-winner-of-summer-architecture-competition/?ref=hyperallergic.com) the 2015 winner of MoMA PS1’s Young Architects Program. Ann Beha Architects [received](http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int%5Fsec=11&int%5Fnew=76210&ref=hyperallergic.com#.VNPgKatDsyB) the Hobson Award for their work on the Shelburne Museum’s Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education. Eleven nominees were [selected](http://canadianart.ca/news/2015/02/04/longlist-revealed-50000-scotiabank-photography-award/?ref=hyperallergic.com) for the 2015 Scotiabank Photography Award. Artists Davide Balula, Melik Ohanian, Neïl Beloufa, and Zined Sedira were [shortlisted](http://www.artistikrezo.com/2015020518821/art/dossiers/les-4-nomines-du-prix-marcel-duchamp-2015-sont.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) for for the 2015 Prix Marcel Duchamp, France’s top prize for contemporary art. ## Obituaries [Colin Lanceley](http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/arts/australian-art-legend-colin-lanceley-dies-after-long-illness/story-fniv7r7y-1227201808929?nk=7a1c4a0b4c993ead0de55c24194f4150&ref=hyperallergic.com) (1938–2015), artist and member of the Annandale Imitation Realists. [Pedro Lemebel](http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/surreal-end-unforgettable-queen-pedro-lemebel-1952-2015?ref=hyperallergic.com) (1952–2015), Chilean artist, activist, and writer. [Will McBride](http://www.designboom.com/art/photographer-will-mcbride-passes-away-01-30-2015/?ref=hyperallergic.com) (1931–2015), photographer. [Mrinalini Mukherjee](http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/mrinalini-mukherjee-a-non-conformist-she-made-tough-choices-never-took-easy-way-out/?ref=hyperallergic.com) (1949–2015), sculptor.