Elizabeth Williams’s sketch of Domenico De Sole discussing the fake Mark Rothko painting he purchased from the Knoedler gallery (courtesy the artist) (click to enlarge)
Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.
An exhibition of courtroom sketches documenting the Knoedler & Company forgery trial by artists Elizabeth Williams and Victor Juhasz closes at the World Trade Gallery tomorrow (February 27).
Over 40 artists and writers — including Robert Caro, Francine Prose, Richard Serra, and Lawrence Weiner — signed an open letter from the PEN American Center to Attorney General Loretta Lynch protesting the FBI’s efforts to force Apple to provide backdoor access to its iPhone encryption.
A message in a bottle thrown into New York Harbor by American painter George Boorujy, was discovered on a beach in southwest France by another painter, Brigitte Barthelemy. The French artist discovered the message two a half years after Boorujy threw it into the sea.
Ted Cruz‘s campaign website removed items by a street artist named Sabo from its online store after The Young Turks ran a segment on the artist’s racist social media rants.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will change its signage to state that its full-admission charge of $25 is “suggested” (as opposed to “recommended”) as part of a settlement to two legal challenges regarding its admission policy.
A new, ad-free subway line designed by a team of artists, architects, and engineers, opened in Düsseldorf.
Francis Bacon, “Study of a Bull” (1991) (© The Estate of Francis Bacon, all rights reserved, DACS 2016) (click to enlarge)
The Francis Bacon catalogue raisonné will include the artist’s last painting, a previously undocumented work entitled “Study of a Bull” (1991). According to the Francis Bacon estate, the catalogue will include over 100 previously unpublished paintings.
The UK’s culture minister Ed Vaizey placed a temporary export bar on Alberto Giacometti‘s “Femme” (1928–29).
The University of Oklahoma reached a settlement agreement over the restitution of Camille Pissarro‘s “Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep” (1886).
ArtUK, previously known as the Public Catalogue Foundation, launched its new website. The registered charity is committed to extensively digitizing Britain’s public art collections.
The Denver Art Museum will repatriate a 10th century statue to Cambodia. It was most likely taken from the Koh Ker temple complex at the time of the country’s civil war 30 years ago.
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts offered free admission for the remainder of the month following last week’s mass shooting.
Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin will be the first opera composed by a woman to be staged by the Metropolitan Opera since 1903.
President Barack Obama nominated Carla Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress; if appointed, she would become the first woman and African American to hold the position.
Simon & Schuster launched an imprint dedicated to publishing Muslim-themed children’s books.
The Royal Geographical Society in London revealed the books that Sir Ernest Shackleton took on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition by digitizing a 1915 photograph of the Endurance‘s interior.
Gothamist tracked down one of CBGB‘s (1973–2006) original awnings.
The exterior of CBGB in 2005 (via Wikipedia) (click to enlarge)
The St. Marks Bookshop will permanently close its doors on Sunday after almost 40 years in business.
The New York City Landmark Preservation Commission denied landmark status to two-thirds of the proposed landmarks that have been on its docket for over five years. Thirty properties, including the Pepsi Cola sign in Long Island City, were “prioritized for designation.” The Brooklyn Paper‘s Julianne Cuba examined the history of the Coney Island Pumping Station, one of 65 properties that the Commission rejected.
Los Angeles city officials began seizing small wooden shelters built for the city’s homeless by online fundraiser Elvis Summers.
A mural by Andy Council was accidentally painted over by workmen in Totterdown, Bristol.
Vintage prints from Masahisa Fukase‘s Solitude of Ravens (1976–82) series went on display for the first time in the UK. The Japanese photographer produced the series during his divorce from Yōko Wanibe.
Masahisa Fukase, “Erimo Cape” (1976) (© Masahisa Fukase Archives. Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery) (click to enlarge)
Researchers at the Fitzwilliam Museum discovered 3,000-year-old fingerprints on the lid of an Egyptian coffin.
Sotheby’s reported its financial results for 2015’s fourth quarter. The report closely follows the departures of two high-ranking members of staff. Alex Rotter, the company’s co-head of contemporary art, will leave at the end of the month. David Norman, vice chairman of Sotheby’s America and co-chairman of Impressionist and modern art worldwide, will step down after May’s auctions.
The Daily Beast’s Nico Hines reviewed Damien Hirst‘s new restaurant, Pharmacy 2, calling it “a glorified cafeteria.” “‘Nice’ isn’t good enough,” wrote Hines, “especially when a three-course meal for two with a bottle of wine comes in at over £100 ($140).”
Transactions
The Philadelphia Museum of Art announced a bequest of over 50 works of American art from Daniel W. Dietrich II. The bequest includes Edward Hopper’s “Road and Trees” (1962), the first work by the artist to be acquired by the museum. The gift also includes an endowment gift of $10 million from the late collector.
Bass Museum of Art board president George Lindemann, Paul and Trudy Cejas, and one anonymous donor donated a total of $2 million to the Miami Beach museum.
The Moroccan government is funding the construction of a new €6.7 million (~$7.3 million) Moroccan Cultural Centre in Paris.
The National Gallery of Victoria acquired Dominique Sirop’s haute couture collection.
A selection of works from the Dominique Sirop Collection (courtesy National Gallery of Victoria) (click to enlarge)
Transitions
Fritz Steiner resigned as the dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s architecture school, citing the school’s carry laws as the reason for his departure.
The Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas will relocate to a newly renovated space at 1305 Wycliff Avenue next month.
Laurel Gitlen gallery closed its doors permanently on February 14.
AIPAD‘s annual photography fair will relocate from the Park Avenue Armory to Pier 94 in 2017.
Susan Morrison became the first female president of the Century Association.
(courtesy Artist’s Institute) (click to enlarge)
The Artist’s Institute moved to its new space at 132 East 65th Street.
Performa announced a string of new appointments to its board of directors.
Steven Nash was appointed board president of the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation.
Lynn Surry was appointed president of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation.
John S. Reed was appointed president of the Boston Athenæum.
Jeremy M. Mikolajczak was appointed CEO of the Tucson Museum of Art.
Jeffrey Uslip was appointed deputy director for exhibitions and programs at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
Patricia Maloney will step down as the executive director of Daily Serving and Art Practical.
Yasufumi Nakamori was appointed curator of photography and new media at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Phillips appointed Kyoko Hattori to be the auction house’s regional representative in Japan.
Accolades
The Container Artist Residency announced its inaugural participants.
The Anderson Ranch Arts Center will present Carrie Mae Weems with its National Artist Award at its 20th Annual Recognition Dinner. Eleanore and Domenico De Sole will be presented with the Center’s Service to the Arts Award.
Opportunties
ArtPrize is currently accepting applications for its new Fellowship for Emerging Curators, a partnership with Independent Curators International.
Obituaries
(via fishercollections.library.utoronto.ca) (click to enlarge)
Gillian Avery (1926–2016), children’s author and children’s literature historian.
Seth Cardew (1934–2016), sculptor and potter.
Elizabeth Eisenstein (1923–2016), historian. Author of The Printing Press as an Agent of Change (1979).
Rosario Ferré (1938–2016), writer.
Gwyneth George (1920–2016), cellist.
David Hey (1938–2016), historian.
Sonny James (1928–2016), country singer.
David Menhennet (1928–2016), 10th librarian of the House of Commons.
Douglas Slocombe (1913–2016), cinematographer.