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 this Thursday, May 4.

NEED TO READ

Jeffrey Epstein planned to meet Art-World Bigwigs- A new investigation has revealed that the deceased sex and financial offender planned a studio visit with artist Jeff Koons in 2013, planned to visit Sotheby’s with director Woody Allen in 2017 and planned more than 100 dates with mega-collector financier and former chairman of the MoMA Board of Trustees Leon Black between those dates. (the wall street journal)

Foundations pledge $11 million to increase diversity – The Alice L. Walton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and Pilot House Philanthropy have committed $11 million over five years to help diversify leadership positions across museum departments. The Leadership in Arts Museum initiative selected 19 museums, including the Mississippi Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Perez Art Museum; each will create or maintain various roles and commit to expanding diverse candidate pools. (ART news)

Participatory photos of King Charles before the coronation – An immersive entertainment space has outsourced a massive digital portrait of King Charles III to mark his coronation this week by inviting the public to send in their own portraits of the monarch. Currently on display on massive digital screens at Outernet, London, a version of The great royal portrait will be auctioned at Christie’s to raise money for the Children in Need charity tonight, May 4. (The arts journal)

Scavenger Hunt for Nazi Gold Treasure – A team of historians hoping to uncover a hidden treasure trove of treasures hid by the Nazis during World War II have been disappointed after a hand-drawn map by a German soldier leads them nowhere. The team had overlaid the map with historical maps of the area to secure a location for an excavation, but after searching with metal detectors and digging, and enlisting locals to help with the search, they did not find valuables, which had been snatched after a bank vault exploded during the war. (New York Times)

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Bénédicte Savoy wins the Berlin Science Prize – The art historian, known for her research on African objects from the colonial era in French museums, won the annual €40,000 ($44,000) award for outstanding scientific and research achievement. (Tagesspiegel)

The original Barnes Foundation site will reopen – The original location in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania is set to be revived as the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum. Albert Barnes’ extensive collection moved to Philadelphia in 2012, and St. Joseph’s University renovated the location which will now house its 3,000-piece collection. (FOR WHAT)

Calder Prize Winner Named – New York-based artist Aki Sasamoto is the recipient of the 2023 prize, a biennial prize that includes $50,000, a three-month residency at Calder’s former studio in France, and inclusion of works in a collection of a museum. Sasamoto’s installations incorporate everyday objects to “evoke the absurdity of the human experience”. (art forum)

FOR THE ARTS

Beloved Walrus Sculpture Unveiled – The massive sea animal named Freya, which charmed the Norwegian capital of Oslo last year when it snuck up on tourists before being euthanized, has been immortalized as a life-size bronze sculpture nature. Title For our sins Astri Tonoian explained that her work is meant to serve as a “historical record of the case” and hopes it will remind humans that “we must practice coexistence” with wildlife. (New York Times)

A bronze sculpture created by artist Astri Tonoian in memory of Freya the walrus has been unveiled in Oslo, Norway. Freya caught the world’s attention in the summer of 2022 after lounging playfully in the Oslo Fjord until authorities euthanized her. Photo: Annika Byrde/NTB/AFP via Getty Images.

More trending stories:

A museum has renamed a still life of vegetables by Van Gogh after a chef noticed something was wrong with the onions

X-ray analysis of a 16th-century Bronzino painting of Duke Cosimo de’ Medici has revealed a mysterious underlying portrait

‘He was hungry’: Korean art student discovered Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous $150,000 banana from a museum wall and ate it

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A discreet collector has hidden 230 classic cars in a dusty old church. The amazing treasure could fetch millions at auction

Christie’s Neglected reveals the ugly story of its sensational jewelry auction. Then a billionaire’s wife complained

Admire Keith Haring’s rare drawing—measuring a massive 125 feet—which is on display in Amsterdam for the first time in 30 years

How Lavinia Fontana broke Renaissance tradition to become the first known female artist to depict female nudes and earn equal pay to men

Florida principal fired for giving a lesson on Michelangelo’s ‘David’ traveled to Italy to see the sculpture herself – she was impressed

Are you considering a job in the art world? Here’s how much art professionals actually earn for a living

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