The Week in Art...After Nyne's Hot 9
1. Swiss police seize three paintings in connection to Malaysian corruption investigation (via BBC)
Authorities in the US filed a lawsuit to seize £761m in assets purchased with money believed to have been taken from the Malaysian state fun 1MDB. The artworks identified included Vincent Van Gogh’s La Masion de Vincent a Arles sketch and Monet’s Nympheas avec Reflets de Haute Herbe. A spokesperson from the Swiss federal department of justice stated the seizure was on the request of US authorities.
2. Burka Sculpture Vandalised in Post Brexit Anger (via Artnet)
Yazmeen Sabri’s Walk a Mile in Her Veil on display at London’s Royal College of Art (RCA) has been vandalised by an intoxicated woman. The sculpture was a key part of Sabri’s work exploring the Arab identity through the veil, as part of understanding first-hand the ‘cultural, social and feminist’ motives behind it. The culprit is due for sentencing next week with damages done to the sculpture amounting to £6,000.
3. Guerrilla Girls announce first UK show (via The Guardian)
Whitechapel Gallery has commissioned feminist art activists the Guerrilla Girls to bring gender diversity into the spotlight. After decades of exposing inequality in the art world, the group of anonymous mask-wearing feminist activists get their first dedicated UK show. This summer the group will survey more than 400 European galleries to undercover whether museums are reflecting the full diversity of art and art history. The exhibition will run from 1 October through to 5 March 2017 as part of the Whitechapel Gallery’s autumn programme.
4. New Tate Modern Receives One Million Visitors (via Artlyst)
After the new Tate Modern opened its new extension, in a show of confidence the gallery has announced it has welcomed one million visitors to the new space in its first month. It has also been reported that the Tate Modern launch video was viewed 6.7 million times on Facebook. The announcement stands to prove the success of the new programme of specially commissioned events that took place during the opening three weeks.
5. Bjork gives an insight into her world with virtual reality exhibition (via Evening Standard)
London’s Somerset House announces a virtual reality exhibition that offers fans an immersive experience. To coincide with the display Bjork is playing a one-off gig at the Royal Albert Hall, which will feature a series of films made in her home country Iceland. Bjork stated the virtual reality technology is ‘a theatre able to capture the emotional landscape’ of her music.
6. Suhanya Raffel announced as Executive Director of M+ Museum (via ArtNews)
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority announced that Suhanya Raffel would be taking on the position of executive director of Hong Kong’s M+ Museum. Opening in 2019 the museum is a highly anticipated museum of contemporary Asian visual culture and art.
7. The Seattle Art Museum opens ‘Big Picture: Art After 1945’ exhibition (via Art Daily)
The Seattle Art Museum presents new exhibition featuring significant abstract painting and sculpture from the museum’s collection. The exhibition traces the landmark artistic developments in the decades following World War II including Mark Rothko’s No. 10 and Eva Hesse’s No Title.
Now in its eighth year, artists from across the globe have been taking part in Upfest, described as ‘Europe’s largest free, live street and urban art festival’. The art created at the festival is painted in front of crowds on walls, shop fronts and camper vans, with artists including Inkie, Pichi & Avo and Jody. Some of the artworks, such as the mural painted on the Tobacco Factory remain year round until the next festival.
9. The Museum of Modern Art acquires early Faith Ringgold Painting (via Art News)
The painting entitled American People Series #20, which appeared in Ringgold’s first solo show at the Spectrum co-op gallery in 1967 will hang at MoMA. The piece is 12 feet long and six feet tall covering two square canvases depicting a disturbing scene splattered with blood.