ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Illustrator's Tribute to George Floyd Touches Millions

ArtfixDaily / June 1st, 2020

Illustrator Shirien Damra posted a memorial image dedicated to George Floyd on Instagram last week shortly after his killing by police in Minneapolis. Her "Justice for George" received over three million likes not long after she posted it, and was widely shared.      A daughter ...

Take a Video Curator's Tour of 'State of the Art' at Crystal Bridges and The Momentary

ArtfixDaily / June 1st, 2020

In February, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its new satellite the Momentary debuted the contemporary art exhibition State of the Art 2020. In a video virtual tour, Crystal Bridges Associate Curator, Contemporary Art, Alejo Benedetti takes viewers into the galleries for an ...

Christo, Part of Artist Duo Behind Grand-Scaled Wrappings, Remembered

New York Times / May 31st, 2020

Artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, known as Christo, passed away of natural causes on Sunday, May 31, 2020, at his home in New York City. He was 84 years old. Statement from Christo's office: "Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but ...

Rashid Johnson: 'The role of art right now is to not avert its eyes'

CNN / May 30th, 2020

Temporarily working out of a Long Island basement, New York City-based artist Rashid Johnson has focused his art practice on self-exploration with the new series "Untitled Anxious Red Drawings," shown in a sold-out online exhibition with Hauser & Wirth.  This series, he writes for CNN, ...

SpaceX Rocket Launches NASA Astronauts Into Orbit With Some 'Indestructible' Artwork

ArtfixDaily / May 30th, 2020

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully launched into orbit with two NASA astronauts on board on Saturday. A first launch attempt on Wednesday was postponed due to weather conditions. Aboard the capsule named Endeavor—the first NASA crew mission in nearly nine years⁠—was specially-created ...

From Paul Revere to Jacob Lawrence, Artist Soldiers Are Recognized in Georgia Museum of Art's Online Exhibition

ArtfixDaily / May 22nd, 2020

Every summer, the Georgia Museum of Art participates in Blue Star Museums, a program organized by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that offers free admission and special discounts to military personnel and their families from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day. Blue Star Museums is a ...

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Is First Major US Art Institution to Reopen

ArtfixDaily / May 24th, 2020

Over the weekend, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, was among the first major art museums in the U.S. to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. New protocols for visitors are in place, from the required wearing of masks and temperature testing, to timed tickets for entry and social distancing of ...

U.S. Art Galleries Project 73% Loss in Q2 Revenue Due to COVID-19 Developments

ArtfixDaily / May 19th, 2020

The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) reports that art galleries across the U.S. project an overall gross revenue loss of 73% in the second quarter of 2020 and have already seen an overall 31% loss in revenue for quarter one, as a result of developments from COVID-19. While 85% of ...

HOTA, Home of the Arts Open Call for 20 Australia Gold Coast Artists to be Presented in a New $40M Gallery

ArtfixDaily / May 19th, 2020

HOTA, Home of the Arts has announced a commissioning opportunity for 20 Australian artists to be presented in a major exhibition in its new Gallery opening in 2021. In early 2021, HOTA in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, will open the City’s new AUD$60.5M (approx. USD$40M) Gallery. ...

Paris's Arc de Triomphe Wrapping by Christo Delayed Again, Plus Venice Biennale Dates Pushed Out

ArtfixDaily / May 18th, 2020

The long-awaited project by artist Christo to wrap Paris’s Arc de Triomphe in fabric has been pushed to 2021. Set to go on view this September, the project, which he first conceived with late wife and artistic partner Jeanne-Claude in 1962, involves 269,097 square feet of silvery blue fabric ...

Art Exhibitions for the Maine Bicentennial Give a Picture of Place

ArtfixDaily / May 17th, 2020

To celebrate Maine’s 200th anniversary of statehood, art museums across the state have been planning special exhibitions for 2020. While museums are temporarily closed during the health crisis, some of the exhibits can be previewed online. The Portland Museum of Art and the Maine Humanities ...

Artist Tavares Strachan's Prophetic Project "We Are In This Together" Is a Provocative Illumination

ArtfixDaily / May 13th, 2020

Tavares Strachan chose the phrase WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER to ground a sweeping art initiative five years ago. But at this particular moment in time, the universal abstracted text has taken on new significance as a truism for local, national and global realities. Internationally renowned artist ...

Snapchat Partners With Damien Hirst on Spin Painting AR Lens to Benefit Relief Efforts

ArtfixDaily / May 5th, 2020

Snapchat has teamed up with Damien Hirst on an augmented reality lens that allows users to create their own spin paintings in the artist's style. Users can pour virtual paint on spinning "canvases," and then add their completed Snaps to Snapchat’s Our Story, in an ongoing virtual gallery of ...

40 Million People Soak In #MuseumSunshine With a Two Week Pattern of Warm Artworks

ArtfixDaily / May 4th, 2020

On April 21, the New-York Historical Society and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., partnered "to brighten social media feeds" by sharing sunny artworks with people during the dark days of coronavirus stay-at-home orders. Within just over a week, some 3,000 users ...

5 Beautiful and Practical Artisan-Made Gifts from Museum Shops for Mother's Day

ArtfixDaily / April 27th, 2020

{{image}} In a win-win shopping effort, support non-profit museums and artists today while delighting mom with an artful, purposeful purchase. Museum shops are offering plenty of home wares, puzzles, books, clothing, home office supplies and more options for Mother's Day online ...

'Contemporary Curated' Soars to $6.4 Million Marking Record for a Sotheby's Online Sale

ArtfixDaily / April 23rd, 2020

“Contemporary Curated”, a live auction in London turned online-only from April 14-21, fetched more than £5 million (US$6.4 million), a record total for an online sale at Sotheby’s. The sale was expected to bring between £3.4 million and £4.7 million total. Guest curated by fashion brand scion ...

Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky—Wildling Museum Online Exhibit Explores Nocturne Painting, Astrophotography and Light Pollution

ArtfixDaily / April 5th, 2020

If you're enjoying the Pink Supermoon this week, pair your lunar looking with some nocturnes in art. The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang, California, offers a dazzling virtual view of its exhibition Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky. The expanse of the open night sky has ...

Sotheby's 20th Century Design Sale Brings Record Online at $4 Million

ArtfixDaily / April 5th, 2020

A Sotheby’s auction last week brought a total of $4 million, the highest-ever result for an online sale of 20th century design. The sale, which was moved from live to online, pushed past its high estimate by more than 25 percent. Highlights included a “Moorish” Twisted Wire Chandelier created ...

3 Kid-Friendly Projects from Museums To Do During School Closures

ArtfixDaily / April 4th, 2020

Sudden homeschooling takes a lot of juggling and tech support from parents who are trying to work from home, or are scrambling to keep their families afloat, during coronavirus lockdown orders. Museums have some answers for this scenario in the form of free activities online that will take kids ...

Sotheby's, Christie's Furlough Staff; and the Shift to Digital and Private Sales Accelerates

Observer / April 2nd, 2020

Due to the sudden loss of sales from live auctions and logistical challenges during the evolving coronavirus crisis, Sotheby’s will be furloughing 12 percent of its staff, about 200 people, first reported the Wall Street Journal. Christie’s will be furloughing some staff in Europe, laying off ...