Art Industry News is a daily summary of the most important developments in the art world and the art market. Here’s what you need to know on Tuesday, April 4.
NEED TO READ
Italy plans a train between Rome and Pompeii – Aimed at increasing tourism to Italy’s heritage sites, the new high-speed connection will cost around 35 million euros ($38 million). A new train station and transport hub is set to open next to the archaeological site of Pompeii by early 2024, which will be a new stop on the existing high-speed line linking Rome with Naples and Salerno. (The arts journal)
Photographer Kwame Brathwaite dies at 85 – The influential American photographer and activist has died aged 85. Brathwaite will be remembered for his elegant portraits centered on black and African beauty in the 1960s and beyond. (ART news)
Ai Weiwei seems quite happy with his life on a farm in Portugal – The Chinese artist moved outside of Lisbon where he set up a new studio. The work residence consists of a truss and a purpose-built articulated wooden structure, the latter being a replica of the workshop he had in Shanghai. It was demolished by Chinese authorities before his arrest in 2011. Ai’s 13-year-old son is still based in the UK and attends Cambridge School, but there is a grand piano in the building. Ai’s work-life space in Lisbon when he visits . (Guardian)
The Galleria Borghese unites the Renaissance frieze – Five panels of the 16e century Aeneas Friesland by the court painter Dosso Dossi were brought together at an exhibition in Rome. There are seven known panels out of the 10 in total, although some have been deemed too fragile to travel. (TANNING)
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Harry Potter wands and other movie props to hit the block – Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies are hosting an auction showcasing “over 100 years of pop culture history,” including the world’s largest collection of drumsticks. Harry Potter franchise. The top lot of the sale is the bespoke white suit that John Travolta wore with Tony Manero in Saturday night fever, which is estimated to sell for between $100,000 and $200,000. (Fox)
Antiquities Sleuth Named Director of Harvard Law Review – Law student Apsara Iyer, who is part of the Manhattan DA’s antiquities trafficking unit, has been named president of the prestigious publication. (TANNING)
The Weed Museum in New York is about to open – The House of Cannabis, or THC NYC, is set to open this Friday in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, conveniently located less than a ten-minute walk from the Museum of Ice Cream. Facilities include a disorientation room filled with fun mirrors and a film showcasing the history of cannabis cultivation; The Joint, an art exhibition; and The Forum, a collaboration with the Drug Policy Alliance that tells the stories of individuals affected by the war on drugs. (Free time)
Announcement of the first winner of the Frieze Artadia Prize – New York-based artist Jessica Vaughn is the first recipient of the new award, designed to provide resources for an artist to complete a major work at Frieze New York in May. Selected by the jurors Sohrab Mohebbi, director of the SculptureCenter and Franklin Sirmans, director of the Perez Art Museum, Vaughn’s work, titled The Internet of Thinges, is a project commenting on late capitalism with a direct mail service. (Press release)
FOR ART
See a surreal swimming pool installation in Hong Kong – Artist Chan Wai-lap has created an immersive outdoor installation for the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Title Some of us look at the starsthe immersive work allows visitors to enter the artist’s version of a public swimming pool outside the museum. (Press release)
Chan Wai-lap, Some of us look at the stars (2023). Courtesy of HKMoA.
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