Art Industry News is a daily round-up of the most momentous developments in the art world and art market. You have to do this on Thursday the 12th.
MUST READ
US Museums Free Opt-Out Period has ended – The two-year period that allowed museums to spend proceeds from the sale of art on operating expenses instead of acquiring other art is over. The somewhat controversial policy, which expired on April 12, was intended to ease the financial burden on institutions during the pandemic. Now the Association of Art Museum Directors has confirmed plans to return to the original rules. (The art newspaper)
A violin aims for the auction record – All eyes may be on Christie’s art auctions this week, but the “da Vinci” Stradivarius, a violin by Russian virtuoso Toscha Seidel, is set to set its own record this month. The instrument – the first publicly sold Stradivarius from the so-called “golden age of violin making” in decades – will be offered by online auction house Tarisio from May 18 to June 9. The house hopes to win $20 million. (New York Times)
Bob Dylan Unveils Greatest Sculpture Ever It’s a busy time for Bob Dylan. Following the opening of the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, the artist and musician revealed railroad car, a monumental sculpture constructed from about seven tons of iron and installed on train tracks at Château La Coste in Provence. Dylan said the artwork “represents perception and reality at the same time … all the iron is recontextualized to represent peace, serenity and stillness.” The railroad is a frequent motif in Dylan’s work, including his 1979 song Slow train. (Guardian)
Mexico calls for end of sale of pre-Hispanic artifacts – Alejandra Frausto, Mexico’s culture minister, has urged French auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr to halt the sale of 30 pre-Hispanic artifacts originally scheduled for May 13 because the works “are part of Mexico’s cultural wealth.” This is the latest in a series of efforts by Mexico to reclaim its cultural heritage. (ARTnews)
movers & shakers
Kamel Mennour Appoints Artistic Director – Christian Alandete, former Artistic Director of the Giacometti Institute in Paris, has joined the Kamel Mennour Gallery as the new Artistic Director. Alandete has co-curated exhibitions dedicated to Alberto Giacometti around the world. (press release)
Rubell Museum gets an opening date – The long-awaited Washington, DC museum built by Miami-based collector couple Don and Mera Rubell will finally open its doors to the public on October 29th. The museum, located in a former junior high school, will house more than 7,400 works by more than 1,000 artists, as well as galleries, a bookstore and a café. (DCist)
Allison Glenn joins the Public Art Fund – The acclaimed curator, who organized Promise, Witness, Remembrance for Louisville’s Speed Art Museum last year, will begin a new assignment as Senior Curator at the New York arts institution on May 16. She succeeds Daniel S. Palmer, who joined SCAD Museum of Art as Chief Curator earlier this year. (ARTnews)
FOR THE SAKE OF ART
A look inside the Hong Kong Palace Museum – The controversial institution that houses the Beijing Palace Museum collection is slated to open this summer in the West Kowloon Cultural District to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China. The exact date has yet to be announced – but the tentative plan to charge entrance fees has drawn criticism from state media. (South China tomorrow post, Ta Kung Pao)
The Hong Kong Palace Museum. (Photo by Li Zhihua/China News Service via Getty Images)
The Hong Kong Palace Museum before its opening. (Photo by PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)
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