Florentijn Hofman, “Conibeer” (2016) (courtesy Studio Florentijn Hofman) (click to enlarge)
Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.
The Gagosian Gallery agreed to pay $4.28 million in back taxes to the state of New York. An investigation by the attorney general’s office found that the gallery should have paid sales tax on some $40 million worth of art sold to clients in New York between 2005–2015.
According to a report by Art F City, Jeff Koons laid off 15 of his studio workers following their attempt to unionize.
Florentijn Hofman unveiled “Conibeer,” a monumental sculpture of a bear constructed out of conifer tree branches.
Turkish authorities banned all academics from traveling abroad in response to last week’s failed coup. According to the BBC, 1,577 university deans, 21,000 teachers, and 15,000 education ministry officials have been asked to resign.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is looking to cut 50 staff positions. According to the New York Times, over 50 employees have already taken buyouts as part of the museum’s effort to cut its deficit by $30 million.
Using archival records and details from Bernadette Murphy’s new book, Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story, the Art Newspaper identified the brothel maid to whom Vincent van Gogh gave his ear as Gabrielle Berlatier.
The Mary Rose in the Ship Hall (© Peter Langdown, courtesy the Mary Rose Trust) (click to enlarge)
Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, went on public display in a new, purpose-built facility at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. The warship, which sunk in 1545, was raised from the Solent in 1982.
The German Lost Art Foundation concluded that at least 91 of the artworks recovered in the so-called “Gurlitt trove” were confiscated from Jewish owners by the Nazis. The government-backed organization has so far examined 502 of the 1,200 works discovered in the late collector Cornelius Gurlitt‘s home.
Parviz Tanavoli received his passport and was permitted to travel home to Vancouver following his detainment by Iranian authorities. According to the Vancouver Sun, the artist’s detainment “stemmed from a woman who appeared to have a grudge against Tanavoli, and was trying to get him to give her some of his sculptures.”
Edward Zuma, the son of South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, threatened to “throttle” Ayanda Mabulu. The artist’s latest painting depicts the president engaged in a sex act with millionaire Atul Gupta.
The BBC television show, Fake or Fortune, attributed a portrait to Lucian Freud, despite the artist’s earlier denials that the work was his own.
The Indian government‘s move to create a national grading system for artists and writers was met with intense criticism. The culture ministry is proposing to rank artists within three categories: Outstanding (O), Promising (P) and Waiting (W).
Hans Peter Kuhn, “Acupuncture” (courtesy Mattress Factory) (click to enlarge)
The Mattress Factory unveiled “Acupuncture,” a permanent light installation created for the roof of the museum by artist Hans Peter Kuhn.
Pier Giorgio Righetti, the co-author of a study that tested a new type of formaldehyde fume censor beside works by Damien Hirst, formally retracted his paper’s findings. According to a statement published by Hirst’s company, Science Ltd., Righetti has “unreservedly acknowledged that the Paper is inaccurate and unreliable.”
The artist duo Shinseungback Kimyonghun (Shin Seung Back and Kim Yong Hun) used facial recognition software to identify “cloud faces” in the sky above Bradford’s National Media Museum.
Transactions
Faith Ringgold, “American People Series #20: Die” (1967), oil on canvas, two panels, 72 × 144 in, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, purchase, and gift of Sarah Peter ( © 2016 Faith Ringgold, courtesy MoMA) (click to enlarge)
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) acquired Faith Ringgold’s monumental painting “American People Series #20: Die” (1967). MoMA’s associate curator of media and performance art, Thomas J. Lax, included the work in a recent blog post entitled “How Do Black Lives Matter in MoMA’s Collection?” “Let’s be clear about how Ringgold’s work resonates today,” Lax writes, “Just as the painting indicts all of the suit-and-dress-wearing, white-collar workers in her picture, we must implicate the professional institutions in which we find ourselves as part of a broader anti-black culture.” The painting is currently on display on the fourth floor of the museum.
The state of Kansas will miss out on $800,000 in arts funding after falling $250,000 short of the minimum required to receive matching federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art acquired Henri Delavallée’s “The Boot Polisher” (1890) — the artist’s only known portrait.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired works by Janet Echelman, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal.
The High Museum of Art announced that it acquired 530 art works in 2015–16.
Transitions
Judy Chicago, “Submerged/Emerged #3” (1976/2005), sprayed acrylic on cast paper, 34 x 44 inches (photo © Donald Woodman, courtesy the artist and Jessica Silverman Gallery) (click to enlarge)
Judy Chicago is now represented by Jessica Silverman Gallery.
Suhanya Raffel was appointed executive director of the M+ Museum.
Michele Cohen succeeded Lewis Kruger as chair of the Museum of Art and Design’s board of trustees. The museum also announced the election of Ann Kaplan as secretary as well as the appointment of Joan Hornig and Barbara Waldman to the board.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts appointed six new members to its board of trustees: Mark A. Douglas, Robert E. Kohler, Jannie K. Lau, Kelly Lee, Jay H. Shah, and June Marshall Smith.
Josephine Halvorson was appointed professor of art and chair of graduate studies in painting at the Boston University School of Visual Arts.
The J. Paul Getty Museum appointed Julian Brooks as senior curator and head of the department of drawings.
The Contemporary Austin established the Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize, a $100,000 biennial award.
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco unveiled designs for a $25-million expansion.
PPOW Gallery leased an additional 2,000-square-foot space at 535 West 22nd Street.
Courtney Childress, Patton Hindle, and AJ Supa established Yours Mine & Ours, a new gallery opening at 54 Eldridge Street on September 11.
Accolades
The Dawn of Technicolor, 1915–1935 was awarded the New York State Historical Association’s 2016 Henry Allen Moe Prize for Catalogs of Distinction in the Arts.
Opportunities
Applications are now open for the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation’s Chef-in Residence program. Candidates require relevant kitchen experience and must possess a driver’s license and a US work visa. Application deadline is August 1.
Obituaries
The front cover of the East Village Eye, Summer 1979 (courtesy Leonard Abrams) (click to enlarge)
Helen Bailey (1964–2016), children’s book writer.
Michael Crawford (1945–2016), cartoonist and contributor to The New Yorker.
John Gruen (1926–2016), cultural critic and photographer.
Gary Marshall (1934–2016), film director and producer.
Billy Name (1940–2016), photographer and poet. Self-described “foreman” of Warhol’s factory.
Carlos Nine (1944–2016), cartoonist, illustrator, and writer.
Carolyn See (1934–2016), novelist. Best known for Golden Days (1987).
Gregg Smith (1931–2016), choral conductor and composer.
Mladen Stilinović (1947–2016), artist. Leading figure of the “New Art Practice” movement and member of the Grupa šestorice autora (Group of Six Artists).
Alan Vega (1938–2016), artist and musician. Co-founder and frontman of Suicide.
Ron Watts (1941–2016), punk rock promoter.