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, May 23.
NEED TO READ
What does an Amazon worker think of Josh Kline’s art? – Even works of art with a strong social message like Kline’s, which examine the often exploitative and dehumanizing nature of work in the age of apps and automation, are usually confined to the rarefied atmosphere of the museum. How do they resonate with someone on the front lines of the labor movement, like organizer Chris Smalls? He visited the Whitney to find out. (New Yorker)
Antwerp Art Weekend – For those weary of art fairs, the ninth annual Antwerp Art Weekend offered a less frenetic but more in-depth introduction to its 39 participating galleries. Notably, demand in the city may actually outweigh supply: Belgium has one of the highest ratios of collectors per capita despite Antwerp’s relatively small gallery scene. (New York Times)
Spain prepares to open the Royal Museum – In June, Spain will unveil the Royal Collections Gallery, billed as “the biggest museum project in Spain for decades, and also in Europe”, which will feature paintings, tapestries, sculptures, armor and furniture collected by monarchs for over 500 years. The first exhibition will include 650 works by Velázquez, Goya and Caravaggio, as well as objects such as the first edition of Don Quixote. Designed by architects Luis Mansilla and Emilio Tuñón, the museum is located opposite the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Almudena Cathedral. (PA)
Families Withdraw COVID Support Tapestry An official tapestry has been commissioned to illustrate the painful experience of the pandemic in the UK, but the complex subject is already causing controversy. Members of Covid-19 bereaved families for justice who had agreed to participate have since opted out because they hope to voice their experiences through a formal inquiry rather than through the artwork. (Guardian)
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
San Diego-Based Collectors Return Pre-Hispanic Artifacts – It’s not just museums who want to repatriate objects from their collections, two private collectors have voluntarily organized an official ceremony to mark the handing over of 65 objects to the Mexican government. This treasure includes a bowl decorated in the Tumbas tradition of Tiro and a precious glass dating from around 100-900 CE (The arts journal)
Estimate of Kurt Cobain’s guitar at auction – A black Fender Stratocaster guitar sold for nearly $600,000 at Julien’s auction at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe, smashing the pre-sale estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. The instrument is one of many that Cobain broke as the leader of Nirvana, and bears his signature along with the other band members. (BBC)
Istanbul Modern reopens to the public – After five years and extensive renovations by architect Renzo Piano, Turkey’s Cultural Center has reopened in an elegant building on the banks of the Bosphorus. The five-story building has come under heavy criticism both for blocking views of the historic Nusretiye Mosque and because its contemporary style doesn’t blend in with other buildings in the area. (Middle Eastern eye)
FOR THE ARTS
Climate activists turn the Trevi Fountain black – Eco-activists threw charcoal into the iconic fountain to draw attention to devastating floods that killed 14 people in the northeastern region of Emilia-Romagna. Protesters from the group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) want an end to fossil fuel subsidies that are worsening climate change. (DW)
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