Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most important developments in the art world and the art market. Here’s what you need to know this Monday, February 1.

NEED TO READ

On the rise of bad figurative painting – In an essay that is quickly making its way to social media and art world inboxes, Dean Kissick targets what he considers to be one of the most toxic trends in art: bad figurative painting. . The hottest young artists, he claims, create “quirky and esoteric mash-ups” that look “less like stylistic innovations than branding exercises, reflecting a present in which the ability to market oneself. is more important than mastering a trade. or come up with new ideas. “(Spectator)

Holt / Smithson Foundation Launches Commission Program – The foundation created by land art pioneers Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt is launching an ambitious new project. Five artists – Tacita Dean, Renée Green, Sky Hopinka, Joan Jonas and Oscar Santillán – were invited to develop a proposal for a new work inspired by an uninhabited island in Maine that the couple bought on sight unseen in 1971. The nominees, who received the invitation out of the blue, will have the next three years to come up with an idea; the foundation will then look for partners to help them achieve them. (The art journal)

Former main dealer dies from COVID-19 – Richard Feigen, a very influential Old Master dealer who operated galleries in Los Angeles, New York, London and Chicago, has died of complications from COVID-19. He was 90 years old. The gallerist, who described himself as “a collector of merchant’s clothes”, began in the 1960s by offering ambitious contemporary art – he gave Francis Bacon his first exhibition in the United States – before reviving the Old Estate. Masters in the 80s. In popular culture, his legacy lives on in the legendary essay by Tom Wolfe in which the writer coined the term “radical chic”, which captured the merchant at a party for the Black Panthers . (ARTnews)

Panel flags 40 works of public art in Chicago as problematic – Within the framework of a continuous effort to In Chicago’s “Racial Healing and Historical Calculation” echoing those underway in cities across the United States, local officials have identified some 40 public works of art related to “white supremacy, slavery and inaccurate representations of indigenous peoples ”. A full list of monuments for formal review will be announced in the coming weeks. It is not known what actions will be taken after the review period. (Block Club Chicago)

ART MARKET

Yusaku Maezawa and YouTuber take on BTS outfits – Very acquiring Japanese art collector and famous YouTuber, HIKAKIN, shelled out $ 162,500 for a group of colorful costumes worn by top K-Pop group in the 2020 music video for “Dynamite. The lot sold to the two buyers at Julien’s Auctions for more than eight times its pre-sale estimate. (Press release)

Muse Sparks Row Art Collection – A battle is underway over the fate of the collection of June Furlong, friend and muse of artists such as Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and John Auerbach. Although friends have said that Furlong, who died in November, wanted to donate her collection to the Williamson Art Gallery in the UK, she left no will – and selections from her treasury, including five Auerbach prints, were sold by Hansons Auctioneers in December for a total. of £ 42,000 ($ 57,480). (Guardian)

The Miles McEnery Gallery is expanding – The New York Gallery will open a third location in Chelsea later this year at 511 West 22nd Street, the space once occupied by Danese / Corey and Max Protetch. Its staff is also growing: Peter Luke Colon, formerly of the DC Moore Gallery and Matthew Marks, will join the team as Managing Director later this month. (Press release)

COMES AND SHARES

Art in America Departure of the editor – William S. Smith is stepping down as editor of Art in America after more than three years to take a new editorial position at the next (and long delayed) M + museum. He will lead the museum’s digital and editorial content and will be based in Hong Kong. (ARTnews)

Vatican Museums reopen – The Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, will reopen today after 88 days of closure. Public health restrictions are relaxed in all but five Italian regions, although non-essential travel between regions is still limited. (Local)

Tanoa Sasraku wins Futures Award – The 25-year-old British artist has been named this year’s winner of the Arts Foundation Futures Award. Sasraku, whose practice encompasses drawing, filming and flag-making inspired by his ancestors in Ghana, will receive £ 10,000. She was chosen by a panel of judges including Frieze publisher Andrew Durbin, curator Fatoş Üstek and artist Lubaina Himid. (The art journal)

FOR ART SAKE

Berkshire Museum unveils upgrades – The Berkshire Museum spent part of the proceeds from its very controversial 2018 collection sale on an infrastructure boost. Upgrades include a new sewer line, freight elevator, new toilets, improved LED lights and waterproofing. The museum – which spent about $ 3.5 million of its $ 50 million windfall on the renovation – plans to reopen fully to the public this summer. (Ridgefield Press)

Pussy Riot releases their latest music video – Pussy Riot had released a music video for their latest song, “RAGE”. The protest anthem calls on Putin to release all political prisoners in Russia, including opposition leader Alexey Navalny and Masha Alekhina, of the punk group, who is under house arrest for posting in support of Navalny on social media. “Imagine Trump stayed in office for the second time and jailed AOC and his supporters,” the group’s Nadya Tolokonnikova said in a statement. “What is happening in Russia is scandalous and unacceptable. Putin must go. (Press release)

To pursue Artnet news on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news, eye-opening interviews and cutting-edge reviews that keep the conversation going.