2010.03.01

International News Digest

Palais de Tokyo—the Sequel?; a “Monumenta” Success—with Anish Kapoor Next; Christoph Büchel’s Swingers Club.

PALAIS DE TOKYO—THE SEQUEL?

Architects are descending on the empty spaces in the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. As Agence France-Presse reports, eighty-eight architectural teams responded to the call to transform the unused parts of the vast building into an integrated contemporary arts center. The existing Palais de Tokyo Site de Création Contemporaine—which was opened in 2002 under the directorship of Jérôme Sans and Nicolas Bourriaud and has been run by Marc-Olivier Walher since 2006—takes up only eighty-six thousand square feet of the building, while the remaining ninety-seven thousand square

2010.02.23

International News Digest

Israel Criticizes Sculpture at ARCO fair; UNESCO Launches International Year of the Rapprochement of Cultures; Director Leaves Prague’s National Gallery; After Censorship, Chinese Artist’s Work Reinstalled at Paris Beaux-Arts.

ISRAEL CRITICIZES SCULPTURE AT ARCO

The Israeli embassy in Spain has qualified a sculpture shown at ARCO in Madrid as “offensive.” As the Agence France-Presse reports, the sculpture—created by the Catalan artist Eugenio Merino—features a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew praying on top of one another. In a press release, the embassy stated that Merino’s work includes “elements [which are] offensive to Jews, Israelis, and no doubt for others” while noting that “values such as the freedom of expression or artistic liberty sometimes serve as a simple disguise for prejudices, stereotypes, and pure

2010.01.06

International News Digest

“Homoerotic” Exhibition Causes Stir in Poland; Swedish Call for Royal Poems Goes Sour …

“HOMOEROTIC” EXHIBITION CAUSES STIR IN POLAND

An exhibition at Warsaw’s National Museum is already having a major political impact—long before opening. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, the focus of the planned show—homoerotic motifs in art—has led to protests among national-conservative politicians in the country. Citing the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, the Süddeutsche Zeitung notes that the exhibition curator Pawel Leszkowicz had hoped the exhibition would contribute to breaking down prejudices against homosexuality in Poland.

SWEDISH CALL FOR ROYAL POEMS GOES SOUR

The Liljevalchs

2009.12.14

International News Digest

Iranian Artist Arrested; Litz to Head Documenta 13 Projects; Can Google Post Images?; “Art of Two Germanys”: AICA’s Top Show; French Strike Update; Human Rights Exhibition Partially Dismantled.

IRANIAN ARTIST ARRESTED

Parastou Forouhar—an Iranian artist living in Offenbach, Germany—has been arrested in her native country. As Der Standard reports, Forouhar was stopped as she was traveling from Tehran to Germany while her passport was confiscated. The Iranian ministry of information has brought charges against Forouhar, but, in a telephone interview last week, the artist said that she not been informed about the precise content of the charges. Her work is currently on display at the BrotKunsthalle in Vienna and at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Gereon Sievernich, the director of

2009.12.09

International News Digest

Pompidou Curators Side with Striking Workers; Cultural Figures Protest Swiss Referendum; Latvian Cultural Minister Under Fire.

POMPIDOU CURATORS SIDE WITH STRIKING WORKERS

Curators at the Pompidou Center wrote an open letter to French culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand last week to explain the impact of government plans upon the national museum. As Le Monde’s Clarisse Fabre reports, the twenty-one signatories did not include four curators who have “hierarchical” roles in the museum. The Révision générale des politiques publiques (General Revision of Public Policies) will have a particularly devastating impact on the Pompidou, due to the age of the majority of its employees who are heading for retirement. The plan,

2009.11.25

International News Digest

Pope Invites Artists for Papal Blessing; French Courts Block Sale of Press-Edition Photos; Prague’s New Museum; ZKM Head Takes on Kunsthalle Düsseldorf; “Fake” Beuys to be Dismantled; Taschen’s Helmut Newton Book Temporarily Shelved; EasyJet Recalls Magazine with Holocaust Memorial Fashion Shoot.

POPE CALLS, ARTISTS COME—AND RECEIVE PAPAL BLESSING

Pope Benedict XVI invited 260 cultural figures—artists, architects, singers, filmmakers, and writers—for a talk last weekend in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. The Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Henning Klüver reports that many of the guests were Italian cultural figures, although others answered the papal call from abroad, including Bill Viola, Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Terence Hill, and Peter Greenaway. In his talk, the pope—citing Dostoyevsky, Georges Braque, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and even Augustine—noted that the search for beauty could

2009.11.19

International News Digest

HAMBURG’S ARTISTS MAKING GAINS—AND RESISTING CITY MARKETING

A group of Hamburg artists who squatted historical buildings slated for development has made gains in its battle for affordable housing, art spaces, and the preservation of a local architectural gem known as the “Gängeviertel” neighborhood. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, the City of Hamburg is slowly but surely moving toward buying the inner-city area back from the Dutch investor Hanzevast. which had planned to demolish the buildings and replace them with luxury apartments and shops. “It’s true that not everything is yet set in

2009.11.11

International News Digest

Berlin’s East Gallery Reopens; Old Masters in Public Spaces; Curators, Dealers, and Artists—from Larry Gagosian to Matthew Barney—Sign Beuys Petition; Another Struggle over Photographs of Beuys Performances …

BERLIN’S EAST GALLERY REOPENS

The twentieth anniversary celebrations for the fall of the Berlin Wall—while marking the end of German and European divisions—also include a few traces of the actual wall. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, the famed “East Side Gallery” has opened to the public after months of reconstructive work. The gallery of graffiti images—which were created by artists from around the world in 1990 on the remains of the wall—has also been named as the world’s longest open-air gallery. Measuring about 0.8 miles, the East Side Gallery is also the longest remaining stretch of

2009.11.10

International News Digest

Sâadane Afif Wins Marcel Duchamp Prize; Ida Tursic and Wilfried Mille Win Ricard Foundation Prize; Artist Hides Gold; Sigmar Polke Wins Swiss Prize; Pierre Bergé Creates Endowment to Fight AIDS; Kippenberger's Paris Bar Painting: Not Exactly Kippi.

SÂADANE AFIF WINS MARCEL DUCHAMP PRIZE

The French artist Sâadane Afif has been awarded the Marcel Duchamp Prize for 2009. The prize, which comes with nearly fifty thousand dollars, was presented to Afif at FIAC. Association pour la Diffusion Internationale de l’Art Francaise (ADIAF), which has given out the prize annually for the past nine years, posted the announcement. “His work over the past few years in collaboration with musicians, art critics, and other artists enables him to envision new forms of receiving art,” noted the jury in its evaluation.

The jury included American collector

2009.10.29

International News Digest

Bergman Property to Become Artist Center?; French Antiquarians Versus Auction Houses; "General Strike" at Vienna Academy; Dutch Museum Loses Collection to Creditors; Hamburg Artist Protest Impacts City Planners.

BERGMAN PROPERTY TO BECOME ARTIST CENTER?

Ingmar Bergman’s property on the island of Farö in the Baltic Sea has been sold. As Agence France-Presse reports, the Norwegian businessman Hans Gude Gudesen purchased the property from the inheritors of the late Swedish film director, who died in 2007. According to the report, Gudesen plans to transform the property into “an artistic center,” although there are no further details in the report on his plans.

FRENCH ANTIQUARIANS VERSUS AUCTION HOUSES

Antiquarians in France are up in arms over proposed legislation that would allow auction houses like

2009.10.19

International News Digest

A “New” Mona Lisa Theory; Trouble Broils over Peru’s “Memory Museum”; Denmark Faces Crisis in Arts Funding; Do Internet Users Consume More Culture?

A “NEW” MONA LISA THEORY

While many have pondered why Mona Lisa smiles, the new question among researchers focuses on who Mona Lisa is. As Agence France-Presse reports, the Italian historian Roberto Zapperi is the latest researcher to propose a theory about the identity of the smiling subject in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. According to Zapperi, the “Jaconde” does not capture Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine merchant, as was reported by Giorgio Vasari in 1550. Citing the minutes of a meeting that took place between da Vinci and Cardinal Louis d’Aragon at the Clos Lucé in central

2009.10.15

International News Digest

Van der Heide to Direct Kunstverein München; Peter Weibel Awarded European Culture Prize; Fischli & Weiss Win Wolfgang Hahn Prize; Baselitz Honored; Update on the “Affaire Mitterrand”; Majority Wants Mitterrand to Stay; Académie des Beaux-Arts Supports Polanski.

VAN DER HEIDE TO DIRECT KUNSTVEREIN MÜNCHEN

Munich’s Kunstverein has decided on Bart van der Heide as the successor to director Stefan Kalmár. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, van der Heide––an art critic and publicist––worked at London's Cubitt gallery up until March of this year. Kalmár is the new director of Artists Space in New York.

PETER WEIBEL AWARDED EUROPEAN CULTURE PRIZE

The media megatheorist Peter Weibel has been awarded the European Culture Prize in the Project category. As the Standard reports, Weibel directs the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (Center for Art and

2009.10.07

International News Digest

Pierre Bergé Received Death Threats Over Chinese Bronzes; Citing Health Reasons, Ai Weiwei Cancels Appearance; Bridget Riley Honored; Front National Calls for Mitterand Resignation; Something Rotten in Denmark?

PIERRE BERGÉ RECEIVED DEATH THREATS OVER CHINESE BRONZES

Pierre Bergé—the collector and the partner of the late designer Yves Saint Laurent—received death threats in relation to the two Chinese bronzes that were put on the block at a Christie’s sale last February. As Agence France-Presse reports, Bergé made the comments during an interview on the French television station RTL on Monday. The two bronze heads—a rabbit and a rat—have long been claimed by Beijing. “I’ve been the subject of many attacks,” said Bergé. “I was threatened—even with death.” Following the advice of police, Bergé was

2009.09.29

International News Digest

Documenta Directors Meet in Turin; Kippi’s “Paris Bar” for Sale; Artists Draw Khodorkovsky Trial; Goodbye to the Blockbuster; Hello to the Permanent Collection; Spread Of Street Festivals: The Antidote to “Elitist” Contemporary Art; Phillips De Pury Introduce the Monthly Auction—With a Theme …

DOCUMENTA DIRECTORS MEET IN TURIN

Documenta 13 director Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev invited all the living former directors of Documenta for a discussion at the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Holger Liebs reports, the question of the day seemed to turn around poetry versus discourse in the curatorial strategies at the Kassel show.

The late founding curator Arnold Bode and the late Documenta 5 curator Harald Szeemann were both represented by companions of the period or former colleagues. Jean-Christophe Ammann from Szeemann’s team argued that Catherine David’s

2009.09.22

International News Digest

Ai Weiwei Hospitalized in Munich; Sigmar Polke Painting Goes Missing; Swine Flu as Sculpture; Lecturing the Pompidou?

AI WEIWEI HOSPITALIZED IN MUNICH

The Chinese artist, architect, and activist Ai Weiwei has been hospitalized in Munich for a cerebral hemorrhage. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Henrik Bork reports, Ai accuses the Chinese government and claims that he suffered the injury due to police brutality in the Chinese province of Sichuan. “I was operated on yesterday evening at 10 PM,” said Ai, who has been documenting the entire process at Munich’s Klinikum Großhadern on his Twitter feed. The surgery occurred last Monday; Ai was in Munich in preparation for his upcoming show at Munich’s Haus der Kunst.

2009.09.15

International News Digest

Shirin Neshat Wins Best Director at Venice; Pipilotti Rist’s Pepperminta Debuts; Ten Cultural Projects for France, Including a Pompidou on Wheels; Arts Council Seeks Assessors.

NESHAT WINS BEST DIRECTOR IN VENICE

The Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat has been awarded the Silver Lion for best director for her directorial debut, Zanan Bedoone Mardan (Women Without Men), at the Sixty-sixth Venice Film Festival. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Neshat discusses the film, which follows the fate of four women in Iran in 1953, when the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadeq was overthrown by a foreign-sponsored coup. Neshat and her cast dressed in green and made peace signs while crossing the red carpet as an act of solidarity

2009.09.10

International News Digest

Free Museums in Spain?; “Super” Art in Berlin; Furor over Israel Exhibition; Koolhaas Defends Beijing Tower; Hirst vs. Cartrain; Art for Public Buildings in Estonia?

FREE MUSEUMS IN SPAIN?

Spain is the latest country to pick up on the debate about the policy of free entry to state museums. Eurotopics cites a report by El Correo’s Enrique Portocarrero, who considers the French policy of opening national museums to the public for free one day a month with the goal of increasing visitor numbers. “This is an interesting solution,” writes Portocarrero. “Especially for attracting younger visitors and for the evening hours when visiting these places can be an alternative to other, less cultured pastimes.” Calling France “an important laboratory for cultural and

2009.09.02

International News Digest

Stoschek Collection to Leave Düsseldorf?; Berlin Mayor Supports Kunsthalle; Bristol Decides Between Art and Vandalism; Picasso Museum: Not Coming to Museum Near You; Swedish Student Artwork Judged; Question over Appel Paintings; Scientist Preserve World Heritage Sites; Technology Brings Mona Lisa to Life in China.

JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION TO LEAVE DÜSSELDORF?

The German collector Julia Stoschek is having second thoughts about keeping her private collection of media art in Düsseldorf. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Catrin Lorch reports, the problem regards the city’s plans for a new office and residential development in the direct vicinity of the Julia Stoschek Collection. In 2007, the young collector opened her collection to the public in a former framing factory after spending fourteen million dollars of her own funds to renovate the registered historical building. According to a press release from the

2009.08.25

International News Digest

Artists Occupy Hamburg Buildings; Interpol Puts Database of Stolen Art Online; Market for Fake Art; Art Competition or Historical Revision in Poland?

ARTISTS OCCUPY HAMBURG BUILDINGS

Close to two hundred artists occupied a dozen empty houses in Hamburg’s inner city over the weekend. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung and DPA report, the painter Daniel Richter was among the crowds who broke into the buildings, which have been barricaded for years, to transform them into galleries and ateliers. “They wanted to bring attention to the shortage of space for artists, as well as save the historic buildings from deterioration and demolition,” notes the report.

A spokesperson for the group, Darko Caramello, said that the houses would remain occupied until

2009.08.18

International News Digest

A Second Auction for Yves Saint Laurent; Disputes over Professorship in Leipzig; Former HK MoCA Director Leaves Debt; French Artist Sentenced in Hong Kong.

YVES SAINT LAURENT: A SECOND AUCTION

The spectacular auction of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection at Christie’s last February did not exhaust the pair’s treasures. As Agence France-Presse reports, a second auction of objects belonging to the late designer and his partner will take place at the Christie’s Paris branch once again in mid-November. This second sale, which includes twelve hundred objects kept at their residences in Paris and at the Château Gabriel in Normandy—from a gouache by Fernand Léger to Yves Saint Laurent’s Mercedes Benz—is expected to bring in between $4

Jennifer Allen