This Week's Top Stories: Frieze Expands in US, Pistoletto's Venus Goes up in Flames
5 min read · 14 Jul 2023
View of Basquiat's former studio at 57 Great Jones Street.
Market
The 2021 Armory Show at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Image: The New York Times
Frieze Expands in US with Armory and Expo Chicago Purchase
In a strategic move, London-based Frieze announced its acquisition of two of America's longest-running art fairs - the Armory Show in New York and EXPO CHICAGO. Both fairs will continue to operate under their existing brands and teams. (The New York Times)
Simon Lee Gallery London Shutters
One of London's leading dealers, Simon Lee Gallery, has gone into administration. Its financial troubles emerged when Sonia Boyce, the Golden Lion winner at the Venice Biennale, made a high-profile departure from the gallery last month. (Artlyst)
Art Basel's Paris Fair expands its footprint
Art Basel's Paris fair, Paris+, is expanding its footprint with three new venues, including the Louvre and Centre Pompidou. The fair's director hopes the changes, which feature a diverse range of public programs and city-wide collaborations, will result in "new encounters and chance collisions". (Observer)
Paloma Picasso Takes Control of Her Father's Estate
Paloma Picasso, daughter of Pablo Picasso, has taken over the reins of the artist's estate. She succeeds her brother, Claude Ruiz-Picasso. (France24)
Shows
Nan and Brian in bed, New York City, Nan Golden, 1983. Image: National Gallery of Australia
Nan Goldin Presents Ballad in Full
A collection of 126 works by Nan Goldin from her most famous series 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' goes on show at the National Gallery of Australia. The sprawling survey of Goldin's work, is a coup for the Canberra intitution. (The Guardian)
Top Five Photos from the 2023 Les Rencontres d’Arles Festival
Les Rencontres d’Arles, the prestigious photography festival in the South of France, opened this week. This year female photograhers are in the spotlight, including images by Nordic female photographers and a collaboration between Eva Nielsen and Marianne Derrien prize-winning artist Isadora Romero. (Art News)
Museum
Austrian activists splashed a Gustav Klimt painting with oil in the Leopold Museum in Vienna in November 2022. Image: Associated Press
Museums caught in climate protest crosshairs
Amid global climate protests, art museums are increasing security levels of protection for their most valuable paintings. Some are suing eco-activists for damages, and authorities are bringing serious charges. (The New York Times)
Angelina Jolie Takes Over Basquiat's Former NYC Studio for New Atelier Venture
The Oscar-winning actress plans to open an atelier in the former New York home and studio of Jean-Michel Basquiat. The historic building in the Lower East Side is due to become the HQ of Jolie's newly announced fashion line, Atelier Jolie. The building's graffiti and street art-covered façade will be preserved. (ArtForum)
Other Stories
Michelangelo Pistoletto's Venus of the Rags (2023) goes up in flames
Pistoletto's Venus of the Rags Goes up in Flames
A sculpture by renowned Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, the "Venus of the Rags," was destroyed in an act of vandalism two weeks after its installation in Naples. A male suspect has been arrested. The mayor of Naples has pledged to recreate the sculpture. (ArtForum)
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