Our weekly news roundup is an extension of Paint Drippings, which drops first in The Back Room, our lively recap funneling only the week’s must-know art industry intel into a nimble read you’ll actually enjoy. Artnet News Pro members get exclusive access—subscribe now to receive this in your inbox every Friday.
Art Fairs
– Frieze has named more than 280 exhibitors for its October fairs. Around 160 galleries will participate in Frieze London, while some 120 will be at Frieze Masters. Under the new direction of Emanuela Tarizzo, a few galleries are returning to Masters after a pause, including Venus Over Manhattan and Tomasso. The two fairs will run concurrently in London’s Regent’s Park from October 15 to October 19.
An enthusiastic crowd at Daniel Crouch Rare Books, Frieze Masters 2024. Courtesy of Frieze Masters.
Auction Houses
– The original prototype of Hermès‘s iconic Birkin bag will go up for auction at Sotheby’s in Paris on July 10. (New York Times)
– Bonhams has tapped Celine Assimon as chief commercial officer. Previously, she served as CEO of De Beers jewelers in London.
Galleries
– Paris gallery Christian Deydier is closing on June 21. It is dedicated to Chinese art and antiquities, and cited a new European regulation on imported cultural objects as a reason for its decision to shutter. (The Art Newspaper)
– Carroll Dunham joined Matthew Brown gallery after leaving Gladstone Gallery, Hauser and Wirth added Cristina Iglesias to its roster, Jack Shainman now represents Elizabeth Neel, Bureau added Thiang Uk to its program, Lindsay Adams is now represented by Sean Kelly in collaboration with Patron Gallery, Almine Rech now reps Christopher Le Brun, and the newly minted Uffner and Liu added Anna Jung Seo to its roster.
Carroll Dunham, photographed by his wife, artist Laurie Simmons.
– Several artists have accused art dealer Reco Sturgis, formerly of New York’s Hugo Galerie, of withholding artworks, failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in owed funds, and sending violent threats via email and text. Sturgis, whose current whereabouts are unknown, was sued in 2023 by his landlord for unpaid rent, with a settlement of over $463,000 reached but no payments made. He has been named in at least one legal proceeding by an artist seeking unpaid sales proceeds. (Artnews)
Museums and Institutions
– Tate Liverpool announced major public and private investment towards the reimagining of the landmark gallery on Royal Albert Dock. This included £12 million ($16.3 million) of funding from the U.K.’s Department of Culture, Media, and Sport’s Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund as well as generous philanthropic donations from the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Ross Warburton Charitable Trust.
– The Royal Academy of Arts tapped Simon Wallis as its new secretary and chief executive, starting in September. He replaces Axel Rüger, who stepped down from the role in October 2024. Wallis is currently the director of the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery.
– The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation made three new appointments: Carol T. Finley joined its board of directors, Sharon Kim is its new chief collection officer, and Kate Reibel is its director of communications and strategic initiatives.
– Amid continuing outcry over the censorship of a performance at the Whitney Independent Study Program by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi that addressed the ongoing conflict in Palestine, the Whitney Museum of American Art suspended the storied program for a year. (Artnet News)
The Whitney Independent Study Program headquarters at the former Roy Lichtenstein home and studio. Photo: Max Touhey. Courtesy Whitney Museum of American Art.
– The Académie de la Grande Chaumière, the Paris art school that nurtured artists like Balthus, Joan Miró, and Louise Bourgeois, faces eviction as its owner plans redevelopment, threatening its historic site. (Artnet News)
– A new contemporary art museum called Muzej Lah is set to open in Bled, Slovenia, next summer. The private museum has been designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
Tech and Legal
– A U.K.-based art dealer and BBC’s Bargain Hunt expert has been jailed for two years and six months after failing to disclose art sales to a suspected financier of Hezbollah. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, admitted eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000 and was sentenced on June 6, after pleading guilty in a May court hearing. It is the first prosecution of its kind. Judge Justice Cheema-Grubb said Ojiri was aware the art was sold to Nazem Ahmad, who had been sanctioned by U.S. authorities in 2019. (BBC)
– Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun gave Maurizio Cattelan’s banana artwork, Comedian (2019), to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump. Sun famously (or infamously) bought the piece at Sotheby’s in New York for $6.2 million last November. (Artnet News)
Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun enjoys the $6.2 million banana he purchased at Sotheby’s. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images.
– Carter Reese, a 77-year-old man living in Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to selling forged Basquiat, Warhol, and Picasso artworks. Reese faces up to 70 years in prison. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
People
– Daniel Lelong, co-founder of Galerie Lelong, died on Wednesday in Paris at 92. The gallery championed artists like Ana Mendieta, Nancy Spero, and Ursula von Rydingsvard.
– Minimalist painter Michael Venezia has died, aged 89. Alongside peers Dan Flavin and Sol LeWitt, Venezia sought to strip back his work to its pure materiality and is best known for using spray-paint guns and narrow wooden bars to construct his paintings.
– Getting into the art world can be tough, but a new podcast from Plaster Magazine, called Give Me a Break, aims to cut through the mystery and elitism. Hosted by Plaster’s managing editor Harriet Lloyd-Smith, The series shares candid stories from people who’ve carved their own paths to success in the art industry, including Artnet’s own editor-in-chief Naomi Rea. (Plaster)
Awards
– Non-profit ArtTable, which advocates for women and nonbinary professionals in the art industry, announced the 12 participants in its annual National Fellowship Program, including Sierra Burton, who works for the Betye Saar Catalogue Raisonne Project, Yuan Gao at the Bronx Museum, and Creative Time employee Giovanna Querido.
– The Brooklyn Museum and UOVO have unveiled two large-scale public installations by fiber artist Melissa Joseph, winner of this year’s UOVO Prize. Joseph’s site-specific work, Tender, graces the Brooklyn Museum’s Iris Cantor Plaza, while a 50-by-50-foot mural in Bushwick brings her needle-felted portraits to urban scale.
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