07.12.12
The Pompidou Center in Paris has announced that it will appoint Steven Guttman as the new chairman to its United States philanthropic arm, the Centre Pompidou Foundation. This reportedly comes after a clash between Alain Seban, the Pompidou president, and Robert Rubin, the former chair, over the hiring of Fabrice Bousteau as cocurator of the 2011 exhibition "Paris-Delhi-Bombay" reports the Art Newspaper. After the disagreement Rubin resigned. However, Seban maintains that Rubin resigned after the executive committee denounced his comments, whereas Rubin stated that he left of his own accord when Seban's contract was renewed. Guttman, who is the founder of the New York–based company Storage Deluxe, has previously served on the board of the Miami Art Museum and was the North American chairman of the museum's international committee.
07.12.12
The governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, recently announced an additional austerity measure that will cut $1.9 million in funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission and eliminate $500,000 earmarked for grants, reports The Nation. In response to these cuts, South Carolinian art groups will stage an "occupy the arts" protest next week at the capital. The governor referred to the South Carolina Arts Commission as redundant and suggested that it rely on private funding and grants. South Carolina's democratic representative James Smith, of Richland County, told The Nation, "When you see a thriving community, with jobs and economic opportunity, you'll see a thriving arts community there as well because they go hand in hand. For every dollar we invest [in the arts], fifty dollars is generated in economic activity."
07.12.12
Four of the lifetime trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles––Lenore S. Greenberg, Betye Burton, Audrey Irmas, and Frederick M. Nicholas––have written an open letter to the Los Angeles Times stating their opposition to trustee Eli Broad's letter published in the Los Angeles Times this past weekend. In their text, they acknowledge that while the museum may have in the past overspent it budget, the "celebrity-driven program that MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch promotes is not the answer." This comes in response to Broad, who suggested that "museums must be fiscally prudent and creative in presenting cost-effective, visually stimulating exhibitions that attract a broad audience." The letter can be read here.
07.11.12
Sue Scott has announced that she will be closing her gallery at the end of August, after four years and twenty-four exhibitions. According to an announcement circulated by Scott, she made the decision so as to be able to return to her previous work as a curator and writer. She intends to focus on completing The Reckoning: Women Artists of the New Millennium, coauthored by Eleanor Heartney, Nancy Princenthal, and Helaine Posner, which will be published by Prestel in 2013. The gallery will officially close after two final shows, "Eli Halpern: Do It Yourself" and "Martha Diamond: Bright Brush Paintings."
07.11.12
The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts has selected artist Ali Kazma to represent Turkey in the 2013 edition of the Venice Biennale, according to an announcement released by C24 Gallery, where Kazma will have his first solo show this fall. Kazma's videos focus on themes of labor and production, and he has been featured at the Istanbul Modern, the Hirshhorn, and the San Francisco Art Institute, among other venues. He will also exhibit work at the forthcoming São Paulo Biennial.
07.11.12
According to various European publications, via Reid Singer in Artinfo, gallerist Denise René has passed away. René was known for her close work with Jean Arp, Alexander Calder, and Piet Mondrian, among other artists, and for being an early proponent of kinetic art and Op art. After meeting Victor Vasarely, René opened her first gallery with the inaugural exhibition "Drawings and Compositions by Vasarely," which received critical acclaim. She went on to stage a show highlighting the work of Max Ernst before he was widely known; she also organized the first French exhibition featuring Piet Mondrian. In 2001, the Pompidou Center mounted an exhibition titled "The Intrepid Denise René, A Gallery in the Adventure of Abstract Art, 1944–1978"—recognizing René's art-historical legacy.
07.11.12
Independent Curators International has received a grant of $10,000 from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation. The amount will support ICI's New York Curatorial Intensive training programs, and will also help to establish the organization's Curatorial Hub, a platform for curators that will include a series of seminars, talks, and round-table discussions. The funds will also be used to create a library of books and other materials on contemporary curating.
07.11.12
The New York Times reports that Harold Holzer, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's senior vice president for external affairs, will "modify some of his responsibilities.'' According to an email sent by the museum's director, Thomas P. Campbell, and its president, Emily K. Rafferty, Holzer will no longer oversee external and internal communications, marketing, and visitor services, though he will still retain control over government affairs and audience development. The changes to Holzer's position are reportedly being made so that he can focus on his work as a historian and author. Holzer is perhaps best known for his expertise on Abraham Lincoln, about whom he has written forty-two books and five hundred articles.
07.11.12
The Oregonian reports that Erivan Haub and his wife Helga, German collectors, will be donating their 280-piece Western American art collection—including works by Frederic Remington and Georgia O'Keeffe—to the Tacoma Art Museum. In addition, the Haubs are providing a significant portion of the funding that will allow the museum to build a new 15,000-square-foot wing. "The history of Northwest art can't be told unless you know the story of American art. A full story of American art has to include these images of the American West," said Rock Hushka, the museum's curator of contemporary and Northwest art.
