Dia Founders Fight Art Sale Plan, Archaeologists Blast Hirst, and More:
Published: July 15, 2013“- Dia Founders Critique Deaccessioning: Three founders and original board members of the Dia Art Foundation — Heiner Friedrich, Fariha de Menil Friedrich, and Helen Winkler — penned a letter to current director Philippe Vergne criticizing a plan to sell off works by Cy Twombly, Barnett Newman, and John Chamberlain in order to fund future acquisitions. ‘Any intention to put artwork up for sale from the original collection, using it as a money pouch to fund other projects, is a complete betrayal of trust toward some of the great artists of the twentieth century,’ they write. ‘This collection is a public trust, and public trusts cannot be bandied about in trades and speculation.’ In a separate letter last week, former Winkler’s brother and former Menil Collection director Paul Winkler also expressed his opposition to the sale. [MAN, NYT]
– Archaeologists Don’t Dig Damien Hirst: Two archaeology professors from the University of Leicester — which is fresh off the discovery of the body of Richard III — recently came across Damien Hirst‘s famous teenage self-portrait with a severed head, ‘With Dead Head,’ and were none too pleased, penning an angry letter to the Independent. ‘Taking such a picture breaches all professional standards of those who regularly deal with the bodies of the dead,’ write professor Sarah Tarlow and project manager Matthew Beamish. ‘We are well aware that Hirst’s art is intended to challenge and outrage and that it frequently deals with the bodies of the dead, but find this image to be exploitative and insensitive.’ [Independent]
– Thrift Store Art for Everyone: Head of the online organization, Rescued Art, Rodney Parrott devotes his life to finding fine art in thrift stores. Parrott restores the artworks himself and sells them online with the mission statement, ‘All people deserve art.’ So far, he has found a Kathe Kollwitz drawing, an Augusto Eugenio Chaufeurier photograph, and a Haku Maki print, but says he is still looking for something bigger. ‘I very well intend to save a piece worth more than $10,000 one day soon!’ Parrott said. ‘It will most likely be an abstract piece by a valued artist without general fame. Perhaps an Alexander Calder painting, because he is best known for his sculptures. Or perhaps a wonderful textured image by Cody Hooper who is known more out west.’ [HuffPost]
– Germany Unveils E-David Painting Machine: A team at the University of Konstanz in Germany has created a painting machine called E-David, which stands for Drawing Apparatus for Vivid Image Display, and which uses sensors, a camera, and art supplies to draw and create paintings. [Phys]
– Florida Art Thief Nabbed: Matthew Taylor of Florida, who stole artworks from Los Angeles Fine Art Gallery, sold them, and then tried to blame his mother, recently got 7.5 years in jail and was ordered to pay $106,152 to two art galleries and $1.1 million to the IRS in restitution. [Courthouse News]
– Obama Boosts UNESCO Ties, Funding to $77M: ‘This is yet another demonstration of the interest the US has for our mission, and of Unesco for an even greater co-operation with America and the Americans,’ said Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO’s assistant director-general in charge of culture. [TAN]
– The Museum of Modern Art will re-stage its first-ever photography exhibition — Walker Evans‘ ‘American Photographs’ — on its 75th anniversary, with 60 works from the original hanging, and will reissue the show’s original catalogue. [NYT]
– The Qatar Museums Authority and the Fondazione Prada have launched a new curatorial award, dubbed ‘Curate,’ winners of which will get to put on their show in either Italy or Qatar. [Gallerist]
– A total of over 300 objects including pre-colonial African artifacts and artworks from Oceania and Indonesia belonging to collector Allan Stone will hit the auction block at Sotheby’s in a two-part sale starting in November. [WSJ]
– In observance of the Dutch master’s 407th birthday, Google has honored Rembrandt Harmernszoon van Rijn with what may be the most underwhelming Google Doodle ever. [Google]”
(Via Artinfo.)