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 18.
NEED TO READ
Has LACMA Abandoned Historical Art? – Art critic Christopher Knight isn’t happy LACMA isn’t showing more of its art store that spans 3,000 years of history. Due to renovations and the construction of the lavish David Geffen Galleries, the majority of the collection is currently in temporary storage, and the museum has instead increasingly focused on exhibits of modern and contemporary art. (Los Angeles Time)
A new art center opens in Brooklyn – The so-called Batcave opens on May 19, after Joshua Rechnitz funded its renovation into a lavish arts hub, Powerhouse Arts. The mixed-use space, which cost a total of $180 million, have fabrication shops for printmaking, ceramics, public art, metal and woodworking. The unveiling will include a performance by Canadian artist Miles Greenberg. (New York Times)
Trump’s portrait won’t go to the National Portrait Gallery… for now – Because Donald Trump is seeking re-election, the museum is not allowed to hang his portrait. After the 2024 election, the museum will release the names of the two artists commissioned to paint the portraits. If Trump wins the next election, portraits of him and his wife, Melania Trump, will not be displayed until the end of his second term. (Washington Post)
Berlin’s museums look at the provenance of archeology – The German Foundation for Lost Art extends its research funding beyond Nazi-looted and colonial art to include archaeological objects with murky histories. The museums received research funding of €350,000. Three archaeological sites will be involved in the pilot project. The objects under investigation date back to the Ottoman Empire and the sites of Sam’al and Didyma, which are in Turkey, and Samarra, in modern Iraq. (The arts journal)
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Yale MFA Scholarship Honors Mickalene Thomas – Collectors Bernard Lumpkin and Carmine D. Boccuzzi Jr. endowed a scholarship at the prestigious art institution where they first met as students. Recipients of the Mickalene Thomas Fellowship will be mentored by the artist, who is also a graduate of the two-year MFA program. (The arts journal)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee appoints new Chair – Dame Caroline Dinenage has been elected to lead the UK committee, a role she will begin immediately. A Conservative, Dinenage previously served as Minister of Culture from February 2020 to September 2021. (evening standard)
Alex Da Corte leads the Prada campaign – The Venezuelan artist shot a colorful new campaign for the luxury brand featuring actress Scarlett Johansson. The images are inspired by the Glass Age, a period we still live in, where images are mediated through glass, such as in windows or archways in Europe, or through a smartphone screen. (Daily Women’s Clothing)
FOR ART
Pierce Brosnan organizes a personal exhibition in LA – THE james bond The star and his wife, Keely Shaye Brosnan, have hosted a new show called ‘So Many Dreams’, filled with the actor’s colorful artwork, which includes paintings, scripts filled with sketches from previous roles and etchings, presented to the alongside a film produced by Brosnan’s son Dylan. Opening night was attended by an A-list featuring Rene Russo, Kenny G, Sugar Ray Leonard, Adam Devine and Shaun White. (vanity lounge) (instagram)
More trending stories:
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay one step ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news, revealing interviews and incisive reviews that move the conversation forward.
