ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Iran Sentences American Art Dealer, Spouse to Lengthy Prison Terms

Washington Post / January 31st, 2018

Iran has sentenced Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his wife, Afarin Neyssari, to prison, according to a New York-based rights group on Wednesday. They were arrested in July 2016. The couple, who are Zoroastrians, were allegedly targeted for their faith and their ties to ...

Saudi Arabia Plans Mega-Sized Arts Center

ArtfixDaily / January 30th, 2018

Artist Ahmed Mater is spearheading a new arts intiative backed by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud. The goal is to make Saudi Arabia an arts hub, with a center to promote contemporary art making and viewing, reports Bloomberg.  On Monday, ...

National Gallery of Art Postpones Chuck Close Exhibition Over Misconduct Allegations, Debate Ensues

New York Times / January 29th, 2018

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has postponed an upcoming exhibition of works by artist Chuck Close after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.  Close told the New York Times that the allegations are "lies." He says, "I've done nothing wrong and I'm being crucified." ...

White House Loan Request for Van Gogh Countered with Gold Toilet Offer

Independent / January 25th, 2018

The White House reportedly requested a loan of a Vincent van Gogh painting from the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Since Van Gogh’s 1888 Landscape With Snow could not be loaned, the museum responded that it could instead offer an 18 karat gold sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan, first ...

Cutting-Edge U.S. Embassy in London Opens Chock-Full of Art This Week

ArtfixDaily / January 14th, 2018

The 1960s building that housed the U.S. embassy in London needed costly renovations and posed security risks in busy Mayfair, prompting a decision in 2007 to purchase a new site. Opening to the public on January 16, the new U.S. embassy resides in South London's Nine Elms area, below the ...

Giant Balloon Adrift from Art Installation Causes Chaos in London

Time Out / January 5th, 2018

A giant inflatable balloon that went up in Oxford Circus to promote the Lumiere London art festival brought a bit of unexpected publicity for the event. When high winds picked up, the art installation came loose and tossled over the busy shopping district, during rush hour, causing havoc for ...

The Most Popular Art News Stories on ARTFIXdaily in 2017

ArtfixDaily / December 30th, 2017

Top art news stories in 2017 included: Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi Sold for a Mind-Boggling Record Art Price of $450.3 Million The Jesus portrait will head to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, but it's still unclear whether the Saudi crown prince bought it as a gift for the museum, or if it's a loan, or if ...

Lubaina Himid is First Non-White Woman, and the Oldest Person, to Win Turner Prize

Guardian / December 5th, 2017

Britain's prestigious Turner Prize, awarded in contemporary art, has named its 2017 recipient--an artist who has worked for decades. The winner is Tanzania-born and Lancashire-based Lubaina Himid, age 63, and her challenging pieces, such as crockery painted with scenes of slavery from Britain’s ...

From Abstraction Innovators to Protest Art, Art Basel Miami Beach Mixes Up Eclectic Offerings

ArtfixDaily / December 4th, 2017

From December 7 to December 10, with a VIP preview on Dec. 6, Art Basel's 16th edition in Miami Beach features 268 leading galleries within a more-spaciously redesigned floorplan at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC).  2017 is an important year for the cultural scene in ...

The Most Instagrammed Museums in the World

ArtfixDaily / November 30th, 2017

Data from Instagram has ranked the most popular museums in the world on the image sharing platform.  Chart-topping in attendance at 7.4 million annual visitors is the Mona Lisa's home --- the Louvre --- which unsurprisingly ranks highest on the World's Most ...

$1.6 Billion Auction Week Underway with a Leading Leonardo

New York Times / November 14th, 2017

New York's auction gigaweek has begun with several marquee lots in this anticipated annual series. Much talked about so far have been the auctions lots that were not offered, and the superstar---a Jesus Christ painting by Leonardo da Vinci---in the Wednesday evening sale at Christie's. ...

Alec Baldwin Settles with Art Dealer Over Painting

New Yorker / November 13th, 2017

Actor Alec Baldwin settled last week with New York art dealer Mary Boone after a lengthy and bitter legal dispute over a painting. The feud was over a Ross Bleckner painting titled "Sea and Mirror" from 1996 that Baldwin thought he was buying from Boone for $190,000. A smell of fresh ...

Benjamin Genocchio Removed as Armory Show Director Amid Sex Harassment Allegations

New York Times / November 9th, 2017

Influential art world figure and former Artnet editor Benjamin Genocchio has been ousted as executive director of the Armory Show in New York City after the New York Times reported multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.  Prior to heading the Armory Show, which is one of ...

Art World Circulates 'Not Surprised' Open Letter After Artforum Scandal

ArtfixDaily / October 30th, 2017

Thousands of people signed an open letter by early Monday against sexual harassment in the art world following numerous allegations that took down Artforum co-publisher Knight Landesman last week.  The letter on the website Not Surprised includes a wide array of ...

Artforum Publisher Knight Landesman Resigns Amid Claims of Sexual Misconduct

ArtfixDaily / October 25th, 2017

A lawsuit against Knight Landesman, 67, co-publisher of Artforum magazine, was filed Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court. The suit claims that Landesman sexually harrassed a former employee for years. Nine women have come forward to accuse Landesman of harrassment although only one is named as a ...

Karen Pence Explains Art Therapy for Her Second Lady Platform

ArtfixDaily / October 18th, 2017

Second Lady Karen Pence brought 100 pounds of clay with her to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Packed onto Air Force Two, the clay was meant for an art therapist that Pence had heard needed the artistic medium for children on the devastated island. On Wednesday, Pence unveiled details of her ...

California Art Studio Raises $100K in 2 Days for Fire Relief

SFGate / October 15th, 2017

The San Francisco artist-couple behind a popular "I Love You California" art print ran a 2-day fundraiser that quickly generated $100,000 for fire relief in Northern California. 3FishStudios partnered with The What newsletter and Next Draft mailing list to get word out about the special ...

Gallerist Gary Nader to Sell $100 Million of His Art to Fund Museum

Miami New Times / October 12th, 2017

Art dealer Gary Nader plans to sell about $100 million worth of works from his collection to fund the building of a new museum in downtown Miami. Several blue-chip works---by the likes of Picasso and Botero---from Nader's personal collection are set to be sold during Art Basel Miami Beach in ...

Snapchat's Virtual Jeff Koons Sculpture Vandalized

Fast Company / October 9th, 2017

A sculpture of a balloon dog by Jeff Koons that exists in augmented reality has been vandalized.  Just last week, Snap Inc. announced the new AR feature which allows users to discover virtual Koons art in public places around the world. A giant AR Koons piece in New York's Central Park ...

Jeff Koons Partners With Snapchat on Augmented Reality Art Hunt

Hyperallergic / October 3rd, 2017

Remember the summer of Pokemon Go? People were popping up everywhere to play the interactive game with their smartphones. Now art will take it's turn in augmented reality, and it's art for art's sake. Artist Jeff Koons, known the world-over for his massive balloon dog sculptures, teamed up with ...