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# Week in Review: Petitions Urge Museums to Retain Staff; Longtime NYC Gallery Shutters
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/week-in-review-7/
- Published: 2020-04-24T11:00:31.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:38:57.000Z
- Description: Also, the independent entertainment company A24 is auctioning iconic props from its productions like Midsommar and Uncut Gems.
- Author: Cassie Packard
- Tags: News, Week in Review, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:41 (2019, 2020, part 2)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/04/oyg_paddle8install107-e1586973141132.jpg)

Works by Lisha Bai, Tiffany Smith, Sangram Majumdar, Leeza Meksin, and Erin O’Keefe included in Ortega y Gasset Projects’ Paddle8 fundraiser in December (images courtesy of Ortega y Gasset Projects)

*Week in Review is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.* [*Subscribe*](https://hyperallergic.com/newsletters?utm%5Fsource=page&utm%5Fcampaign=artmovements) *to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter.*

Two petitions by art workers, artists, and scholars [petition museums to retain staff](https://hyperallergic.com/petitions-retain-staff-during-pandemic/) during the pandemic. “Before a single museum worker is laid off, let every mid-six- or seven-figure museum director draw a salary of zero,” reads one petition.

After the auction platform Paddle8 went bankrupt, organizations were left scrambling to [recoup lost funds from charity auctions they hosted on the platform](https://hyperallergic.com/oyg-underdonk/). As the cultural sector ramps up relief efforts during the pandemic, galleries and nonprofits left unpaid by the online auctioneer Paddle8 are facing a double bind.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/04/jimosman_thewalnutseries_2019_installview-01_300dpi-720x480-1.jpg)

Jim Osman: The Walnut Series at Lesley Heller Gallery, New York: installation view, Peter Gynd (courtesy the artist and Lesley Heller Gallery)

Small and mid-size galleries in New York are being hit hard by the COVID-19 crises, with many facing an uncertain future. Now, the pandemic has claimed its first victim, [Lesley Heller Gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side](https://hyperallergic.com/nyc-lesley-heller-gallery/).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York [laid off 81 employees in its visitor services and retail departments](https://hyperallergic.com/metropolitan-museum-lays-off-81-employees-now-estimates-150m-in-losses/) and has updated its projection of lost revenue to $150 million.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/04/5f910e79-ee53-4c38-bf2e-e4327ea059af.png)

Images from the Yorkshire Museum’s #CreepiestObject challenge (via Twitter)

A social media challenge by the Yorkshire Museum prompted institutions to [share photos of their creepiest objects](https://hyperallergic.com/museums-worldwide-post-the-creepiest-objects-in-their-collections/), including a preserved a taxidermic “mermaid” and a pincushion made to look like childrens’ heads.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/04/borobudur-temple-park_indonesia_stupas-of-borobudur-04.jpg)

Borobudur temple Park in Java, Indonesia (Wikimedia Commons)

More than 40 renowned international artists, led by the German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, are [selling posters of their works for a mere $50](https://hyperallergic.com/wolfgang-tillmans-2020solidarity-posters-fundraiser/) (or £50 if you’re in the UK, €50 if you’re in Europe) to support arts and music venues that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

In celebration of the recently passed World Heritage Day (April 18), [virtually tour World Heritage Sites](https://hyperallergic.com/virtually-tour-world-heritage-sites/). From the Taj Mahal to Stonehenge, you can use Google Maps to explore these temporarily-closed historic locations.

## Transactions

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/04/77edc6c2-bc20-471a-afbb-0c143ad673c6.jpg)

May Queen dress that Dani (Florence Pugh) wears in Midsommar

[A24, an independent entertainment company based in New York City, is holding a charity auction of props and paraphernalia](https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/a24-auction-movie-paraphernalia-benefit-nyc-charities-70286893?ref=hyperallergic.com) from some of its hit movies and television shows including *The Lighthouse, Eighth Grade*, and HBO’s *Euphoria*. [The sale is quite eclectic](https://a24auctions.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com) in its offerings. Items of note include the hoodie that Rue (Zendaya) wears in *Euphoria*; the bedazzled Furby that Howard (Adam Sandler) makes in *Uncut Gems*; and the May Queen dress that Dani (Florence Pugh) wears in *Midsommar*. The May Queen dress, which is covered with 10,000 multicolored silk flowers, has [piqued the interest of singer Ariana Grande](https://pagesix.com/2020/04/23/ariana-grande-wants-to-buy-the-may-queen-dress-from-midsommar/?ref=hyperallergic.com), who announced that she will be bidding on the gown. The sale’s proceeds will go to organizations providing COVID-19 relief including the Queens Community House; the New York City Food Bank; NYC Health + Hospitals; and the FDNY Foundation.

[Sotheby’s online-only “Contemporary Curated” sale garnered $6.4 million](https://www.cnn.com/style/article/sothebys-online-sales-record/index.html?ref=hyperallergic.com), setting the record for the auction house’s highest-grossing online auction. George Condo’s “Antipodal Reunion” (2005) led the sale at $1.3 million, marking it as the most expensive painting ever sold online by Sotheby’s. Other highlights include Yayoi Kusama’s “Star” (1993) and ImiKnoebel’s “Trinity Bay” (1998). Sotheby’s has garnered $37 million from online sales since March 20\. [Artnet notes that allover gains from online auctions are up 20%](https://news.artnet.com/market/online-auctions-march-data-1841205?ref=hyperallergic.com) from this time last year and have grown 63% in the last month alone.

## This Week in the Art World

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/04/d796a423-211f-46be-8553-558b41ddc584.jpg)

Hollis Heichemer, “Game at Sunset” (2020), oil on mylar mounted on board, 24 x 24 inches (courtesy the artist and Hollis Taggart)

The Mike Kelley Foundation awarded $400,000 in grants to nine cultural institutions in Los Angeles. | [*Los Angeles Times*](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-04-22/coronavirus-mike-kelley-foundation-art-grants-los-angeles-artists?ref=hyperallergic.com)

The Association of Art Museum Curators bestowed the 2020 Curatorial Awards for Excellence upon 25 curators. | [*Artforum*](https://www.artforum.com/news/rene-paul-barilleaux-and-zoe-whitley-among-recipients-of-curatorial-awards-for-excellence-82781?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Recess announced that Lizania Cruz, Paul Kim, and Christopher Udemezue will be joining its board. | via email announcement

Hollis Heichemer has joined the roster at Hollis Taggart Gallery. | [Hollis Taggart](https://www.hollistaggart.com/news/446-hollis-taggart-now-represents-artist-hollis-heichemer/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

The archive of former California poet laureate Dana Gioia has been acquired by the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. | [Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens](https://www.huntington.org/news/huntington-acquires-papers-dana-gioia?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Turkey will be represented by Füsun Onur at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2021\. | [*Artforum*](https://www.artforum.com/news/fuesun-onur-to-represent-turkey-at-2021-venice-biennale-82759?ref=hyperallergic.com)

The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University named Trevor Schoonmaker as its new director. | [Duke Chronicle](https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/04/nasher-museum-welcomes-new-director-trevor-schoonmaker?ref=hyperallergic.com)

The 2020 Open Space Curatorial Residency in Istanbul was awarded to Lika Tarkhan-Mouravi. | via email announcement

Dannielle Bowman is the winner of the 2020 Aperture Portfolio Prize. | [*Artforum*](https://www.artforum.com/news/dannielle-bowman-wins-2020-aperture-portfolio-prize-82770?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Stefanie Hessler will curate MOMENTA in 2021\. | [e-flux](https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/320074/stefanie-hessler-is-appointed-curator-of-momenta-2021/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

The Taipei Biennial named the 39 artists who will participate in its 2020 iteration. | [Ocula](https://ocula.com/magazine/art-news/taipei-biennale-2020-announces-artists/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

## In Memoriam

William Bailey (1930–2020), figurative painter | [*Artforum*](https://www.artforum.com/news/william-bailey-1930-2020-82767?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Deirdre Bair (1935–2020), biographer | [*New York Times*](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/books/deirdre-bair-dead.html?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Peter Beard (1938–2020), wildlife photographer | [*Vanity Fair*](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/04/remembering-peter-beard-half-tarzan-half-byron?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Beryl Bernay (1926–2020), children’s TV host, actress, and painter | [*Pittsburgh Post-Gazette*](http://liber.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2020/04/20/Beryl-Bernay-dead-obituary-TV-host/stories/202004200135?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Thomas Blackwell (1938–2020), Photorealist artist | [Louis K. Meisel Gallery](https://www.meiselgallery.com/exhibition/thomas-blackwell-in-memoriam/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Rubem Fonseca (1925–2020), Brazilian writer | [*The New York Times*](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/obituaries/rubem-fonseca-dead.html?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Virginia Savage McAlester (1943–2020), architectural historian and preservationist | [*D Magazine*](https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2020/04/remembering-dallas-pioneering-preservationist-virginia-savage-mcalester/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Markus Raetz (1941–2020), Swiss sculptor | [*Artforum*](https://www.artforum.com/news/markus-raetz-1941-2020-82756?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Luis Sepúlveda (1949–2020), exiled Chilean writer | [*Guardian*](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/16/chilean-author-campaigner-and-escapee-luis-sepulveda-dies-aged-70-of-covid-19?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Ann Sullivan (1929–2020), Disney animator | [Deadline](https://deadline.com/2020/04/ann-sullivan-dead-coronavirus-disney-animator-mptf-1202907504/?fbclid=IwAR3fIJseqduCSEr8On2QxCcnehJewlR-kfrPABl-eEt%5FakYXWxDn7%5F%5Fe76M&ref=hyperallergic.com)

Lois Weinberger (1947–2020), Australian land artist | [*ARTnews*](https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/lois-weinberger-dead-1202684516/?ref=hyperallergic.com)