Art Industry News is a daily summary of the most consistent developments coming out of the art world and the art market. Here’s what you need to know on Wednesday, March 23rd.
MUST READ
Superyachts is the new private art gallery – In an extreme niche form of service journalism, Robb report explores how the ultra-rich can safely store and display their Basksys and Basquiats aboard their superyachts. Perhaps surprisingly, a yacht’s advanced AC system, humidity control and safety can offer a suitable environment for art. Just do not forget to draw a broad insurance policy, save paperwork on board for customs and analyze the lighting conditions before installation. (Robb report)
Wollongong Art Gallery examines a late donor’s Holocaust connections – The late Bronius “Bob” Sredersas, who donated 100 works to the institution in 1976 and has a gallery named after him, could have been a Nazi collaborator before moving from Lithuania to Australia in 1950. A former official discovered that Sredersas was a policeman before the war, and many policemen in Lithuania were responsible for killings during the Holocaust. The city council has agreed to investigate. (ABC News)
How collectors avoid sanctions with art – Sanctions sound like a great way to pressure Russia – but sometimes adding a name to a list can only go so far. In a recent episode, the Daily podcast repeated the story of billionaire oligarch Arkady Rotenberg, who was sanctioned by the United States after Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014. Eight weeks later, he bought a $ 6 million painting in New York City. “The game is about hiding your name to continue doing business,” explained reporter Matt Apuzzo. It is easy for a sanctioned person to continue buying art and real estate as long as he has a trusted intermediary to create a shell company. “When you decide you want to buy a work of art … that company buys that work of art,” Apuzzo said, adding that art dealers do not have enough incentives to find out who their customers are. (The Daily)
The filmmakers’ lack of interest in art films terrifies John Waters – “What’s shocking to me is that they’re not interested in art films,” said the ever-quoted filmmaker and visual artist. New York Times prior to the publication of his debut novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. “They want in a mall. They want to sit in stadium seats. They want special effects. I’m the minority here, of course.” (New York Times)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Smithsonian lists potential sites for new museums – Twenty recommendations – including the Arts and Industries Building and FBI headquarters – have been put forward as potential locations for the long-awaited National Museum of American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum in Washington, DC. A shortlist of six to seven will be announced this summer. (Kunstavisen)
New York Mayor could cut cultural budget – The city’s Department of Culture could receive a $ 72 million funding cut in the coming fiscal year if the budget proposed by Eric Adams is approved. The proposal appears to contradict the plan he released during his campaign, which included the creation of a “Culture at Risk” response team and a new cultural district on Governor’s Island. (Hyperallergic)
Burning Man Festival opens in the UK next month – On April 9, “Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man” opens Chatsworth House, the Duke of Devonshire’s old estate in the Derbyshire Dales. The free exhibition will feature 12 sculptures created by Burning Man artists scattered throughout the picturesque landscape. In a development that seems very 2022, the unusual alliance between the Duke and the hippie art festival was forged by Sotheby’s. (Guardian)
Berlin artists organize auction to support Ukrainian refugees – Works by Eliza Douglas, Anne Imhof, Ólafur Eliasson, Cyprien Gaillard, Marc Brandenburg, Alicja Kwade and Christine Sun Kim are among 33 works to be sold online from April 1 to 10 by the auction house Grisebach in Berlin to raise money for Ukrainian refugees as part of the “Artists for Ukraine” initiative. (monopoly)
FOR THE ART OF ART
Pipilotti Rist’s installation lights up at Qatar National Museum – Made of 12,000 LED lights, the Swiss artist’s immersive installation Your brain to me, my brain to you can be seen at the Doha Museum until December 20th. The Instagram-friendly display is designed to entice the audience to fly in for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 18. (Press release)
Pipilotti Rist, Your brain to me, my brain to you. Lent by Qatar Museums.
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